You Can't Run From Love (And I'd Like You Right Here)
by aaaaaaaaaa-sa-a
Summary: "Holy crap," Annabeth says, though her mom would frown at her potty mouth. But they are the only words that come to mind when she looks at the blue light. "Holy crap." OR-The story how two soulmates find each other, and Annabeth doesn't want to be found. Soulmates AU. Percabeth.
1. Chapter 1

Annabeth is five when she first learns about soulmates.

It's a little earlier than she's supposed to be told, but with her mom in an atrocious car accident, her dad in immense pain because of it, and no other adult to take care of her, the nurses really have no other choice.

They explain to Annabeth that though her father hadn't been in an accident, her mother is unconsciously giving her father pain through this special connection they have.

It's called being _soulmates_.

Being soulmates is a great thing. That means that Annabeth's parents were _made_ for each other. They loved each other like they could love no other, and that's pretty much it for normal soulmates.

And then there are those who were special.

These ones can _feel_ when the other was sad, and what they need to be cheered up with, or when one just won a bowling tournament, even though their significant other can't be there. They just _know_.

And Annabeth's parents are special.

They share a connection like none other. Her dad, Frederick, had known that her mom, Athena, had won that bowling tournament before they had even _met_. And her mom had known that Frederick would be sad before he even knew it, stocking up on powdered doughnuts and putting _It's a Wonderful Life_ in the DVD player before some misfortune had happened to him, because she just _knew_.

What they share is truly wonderful, the nurses tell Annabeth.

But it can also be horrible.

Their connection is so strong that when Athena got into that car accident, Frederick had suffered a heart attack because of what had fallen upon his beloved. That's why Annabeth was waiting in this chair for both of them to come out of the ER.

After that bombshell, the nurses tell her that her mom is going to have to go through surgery, and give her a lollipop, like that will make the world better.

She doesn't even _like_ blue raspberry.

Then they leave her alone.

And, so, Annabeth waits.

She falls asleep.

Someone wakes her up.

The doctor tells her the good news first. The surgery had gone great, and her mom would be okay. She most likely will never be able to walk ever again, but she would be okay.

Then he told her the bad news. Her father's heart had given out because of the stress, and he would _not_ be okay. In fact, there is no way he can ever be okay ever again, because he is dead.

The doctor gives her another blue raspberry lollipop and leaves her alone, giving her some time to understand.

As Annabeth numbly stares at the blue lollipop and decided she not only hates the flavor, she despises the color, too.

**(LINE BREAK BECAUSE I HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO DO A REAL ONE! :D)**

Annabeth is six when her mom gets done healing.

For a year she had lived in her semi-mansion (Annabeth doesn't really classify it as a mansion, just a really nice and big house) alone, with only the butler who wasn't much for talking, or playing with little girls. She was homeschooled for that part in time, already being taught on how to lead her mom's part in the family business that Athena ran with two of her half-brothers, Hermes and Hephaestus.

They both have children that Annabeth spends a lot of time with. Hermes has three boys, Luke, who is seven years older than Annabeth, and then a pair of twins named Travis and Conner, who are her age. Charles is Hephaestus's son and Nyssa is his daughter.

All the cousins get along famously, but Hermes moves his family around a lot. And the wing that Hephaestus runs has a headquarters change, and he and his wife and Charles and Nyssa all move to Greece.

She's sad about that, and even more so when she sees that their airplane is dark blue.

And then her mom comes home from the hospital, and everything is right again.

Then her mom scores a lunch date with a kind man named Odysseus and that day, Annabeth cries.

She doesn't even know why she's crying. This is good for her mom. Athena had spent a year recovering from the accident, and hadn't had much of a chance to put herself out there.

But Annabeth has this irrational fear that maybe there is something as a second soulmate, like someone getting a second chance, and that somehow Odysseus will get hurt, and in turn her mom would get hurt, and then she would die.

**(LINE BREAK BECAUSE I HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO DO A REAL ONE! :D)**

Annabeth is seven when she first feels _it_.

It's August 18; just another Tuesday at her prep school. She had just finished a writing project that offered no stimulation to her intelligent brain, and some of the bullies picked on her on her way to the cafeteria with her friend Thalia.

But, when she is just about to take a bite out of her classic PB&amp;J, she's overcome by this wave of joy that she was sure that was not her own. It's odd and foreign; like she's eavesdropping on somebody speaking a different language.

"What's wrong?" asks Thalia, who spoke with a slight lisp like many small kids.

Annabeth wants desperately to tell her best friend, but she had promised the nurses to not tell any of her friends about soulmates before they were ten. That was the legal age parents were supposed to tell their child all about soulmates. Sure, they would pick up on there were special kinds of love, but not what soulmates were in a whole.

Only kids that met their soulmates before the age of ten and tragic stories like Annabeth are allowed to know.

"Uh, nothing," Annabeth answers. She can tell Thalia in a few months, when she turns ten. "Just…Alfred put the wrong jelly on here."

"Oh." It looks like Thalia doesn't entirely believe it, but she lets it slide. She holds up her turkey sandwich. "Wanna trade?"

"No." Annabeth shook her head. "It's just a change from strawberry to grape. It's not bad."

But it is bad. She and her soulmate are _special_, just like her parents.

And it scares her.

**AN: This will be a mini series, about five or so chapters. (I hope. Sometimes the old muse makes things longer than necessary!) I also don't have an updating routine, but I will try to get out a chapter at least once a week. Sorry if anyone was OOC, but bare with me, because they're all little right now.**

**I really do hope you enjoyed, and that everything is alright. If not, please let me know, and let me know what exactly I did wrong instead of just a vague statement.**

**Constructive criticism appreciated, and reviews always welcome! **


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Hello people! This is the second instalment of You Can't Run from Love (And I'd like You Right Here). (Man, I wish a thought of a better name for this story. *Sigh* Oh well.)**

**To percabethbooklion: I actually have not seen that movie. The "special" soulmates idea was from my own (possibly insane) mind.**

**To That Was Such A Face Palm: Thanks for the advice! I wasn't sure if it would be weird to input my own line break mark. Love the name by the way. **

**I really do hope you enjoy, and that everything is alright. If not, please let me know, and let me know what exactly I did wrong instead of just a vague statement.**

**Thanks for clicking on my story, and even further thanks if you read it! :D**

Four months and four days after what she dubs as _The First Incident_, Annabeth tells Thalia about what had _truly_ happened to her parents, and how she's scared about her own soulmate, and how she's been feeling more of another person's emotions lately.

Thalia whistles. "That's scary." Her voice has yet to lose its lisp, but she's getting better at it. "I wish my soulmate and I aren't like that. I know my soulmate and I aren't like that. I've always had the birth–the _mark_, and I've never felt any kind of thing like that."

Annabeth furrows her eyebrows. "The…mark?"

"You don't know about that?" she asked. Annabeth shook her head. "Well, the mark is something you get when your soulmate is born, or something you're born with if your soulmate is already alive. See, look at mine." Thalia rolls up her sleeve, showing off the yellow lightning bolt on her shoulder.

"Huh." Annabeth stares at it. She wonders where hers' is, what it looks like, and when it appeared, or if she's had it since she was born.

Right after Thalia leaves Annabeth's house, she goes into her room and stares at her mirror, trying to find her mark. The same mark that's on a person she doesn't even know, and can get her killed. She brushes those thoughts away, and continues her search.

She finally finds it. It's at the base of her spine, so it's really hard to notice unless you're purposely looking for it.

The mark is hard to depict, but she can tell it's some kind of bird perched on a trident. A _blue_ trident and a _blue_ bird, and she has to sit down and take deep breaths because it's_ blue_ and she _doesn't like that_.

Worry fills her gut, and it's not her own. It takes her a moment to realize that she must be sending her emotions to her soulmate, and s/he is worrying about her.

They've never ever met, and that person is worrying _about her_.

Warmth spreads through her chest. It makes Annabeth's toes curl. Then she remembers that this–she and her soulmate being _special_–could get her or her soulmate _killed_.

She has to take deep breaths again.

;

Annabeth has a nightmare six nights later.

She's older, she knows, because she's driving. An actual car, too, and not the go cart in the backyard.

The teenager next to her has a mass of messy dark hair on his head and his eyes are mesmerizing. He's holding a video camera up to her, like they're filming a home movie. And she can just–she _knows_ he's her soulmate because she feels like she's in love.

Completely and utterly smitten, even though she's seven, and doesn't entirely understand the concept of love.

Her eyes flutter back to the road, because she's driving. He says something she can't make out, but a smile spreads in her face, because she's smitten with him.

A sharp pain plays at the base of Annabeth's skull, and _it's not hers_. She looks at her soulmate. He's hunched over, holding his head. He looks like he's having the migraines to end all migraines, and she has to pull over because the pain in her skull throbs.

She has to bend over and clutch her head, too, and–and then she's on the floor of her bedroom.

Her legs are tangled up in her sheets and her head throbs dully. She guesses that's because of the fall from her bed to her floor, not because her soulmate has suffered brain trauma.

"Annabeth?" Her mother wheels into Annabeth's room, and the seven-year-old is close to tears. Athena scoops up the child, cradling her close to her chest, assuring her that everything is alright.

It was just a dream.

Just a _nightmare_.

Once Annabeth calms down, she whispers, "Mom?"

"Yes, Annie?" Athena asks.

"When did my" –hiccup– "mark show up?"

"Oh, well…" Athena has a pensive look on her face for a moment, trying to remember. "About a month after you were born. Your father and I were so happy." A sad smile casts over her face. "Why?"

"I think my soulmate and I are _special_," Annabeth admits.

Athena stills. "Why–why would you say that?"

Annabeth looks up at her. She's the perfect copy of her mother; the gray eyes, the sharp chin, the curls. But her mom's hair is brown, and Annabeth's is blond, like Frederick's.

"Because I _felt_ him, Mom," Annabeth says. "On his birthday, I think. August eighteenth."

They stay quiet for a while. Then, "Am I gonna end up in a wheelchair, Mom?"

"What?" Athena exclaims, high-pitched. "No! Why would you think that?"

"Then am I gonna die?"

The older Chase looks horrified, but replies, "Everyone dies eventually."

"Is us being special…Is he gonna kill me?"

Athena removes Annabeth from her lap and places her on her bed, wheeling out of the room without another word.

Annabeth can't find sleep for another week.

;

Annabeth is twelve when she first meets the boy in the blue light.

And promptly runs away from him.

Luke, Travis, Conner, and Hermes are back for two weeks, and they instantly come over to Athena's house. She and Hermes catch up on business things, while the boys go outside to where Annabeth is playing with Thalia.

Annabeth hears the door open, but she's busy chasing Thalia after their game of _Candy Land_ because she _swears_ the older girl was cheating.

Thalia looks at the door, though. Her eyes widen in surprise and she trips and falls on her face. Annabeth stops abruptly so that she doesn't run over her best friend, and laughs at her.

"It's called karma, Thals!" she exclaims, then laughs some more. "You shouldn't've cheated!"

And then Luke is next to Thalia. He helps her up, and then just stand there, staring into each other's eyes like in a trance.

"Hello?" Annabeth circles then. She waves her hand in front of their faces, but gets no reaction at of either. Travis and Conner try, too, but to no avail.

Then, Annabeth has a thought. She fumbles to roll up Luke's right sleeve and–_boom_. There it is. A yellow lightning bolt on his shoulder. Just like the one Thalia showed her five years back.

"You guys are _soulmates_?!" Annabeth demands, her voice high-pitched, because _honestly_? Her nineteen-year old _cousin_ and her fourteen-year old _best friend_ are _soulmates_?

Thoughts about her own soulmate–the guy that was born on August 18th–cloud her mind. Their physic link seems to be growing daily. He gets frustrated a lot during the day and a mixture of anger, worry, and care come into play during the late afternoons.

She sometimes finds herself wondering what he looks like, and what his personality is. Even though those thoughts are absurd, because she doesn't _want_ to find her soulmate.

"I _so_ did not see this coming," Travis says, startling Annabeth out of her thoughts.

"I don't even _know_ her!" Conner shouts.

That seems to break Luke and Thalia out of their trance. They take a step back. "Hi," Luke says.

"Hello," Thalia replies. She directs a look at Annabeth. "Mind introducing us, Beth?"

"Thalia, this is Luke, Luke this is Thalia Grace," Annabeth says. "And Luke, if you start making out–"

"EWWW!" cries the twins.

"–you _will_ be arrested, because she's fourteen," she finishes pleasantly.

"Five year age difference," Luke remarks. He shrugs, and gives Thalia a charming smile. "I can deal with that."

"EWWW!" yells the twins again. "Cooties!" Conner shouts. He clutches his chest over dramatically. Travis falls to his knees. "It's _spreading_!"

Luke whacks both of them in the back of the head. "Shut up, you babies," he commands dryly. He takes out his car keys and whirls them around his finger. "How about we go to the park? Where you three can blow off some steam and me and Ms. Grace here can get to know each other better."

"Cooties!" Conner shouts again.

Travis is laying in the grass, gasping. He reaches for Annabeth. "I don't…think we'll make it…dear cousin," he pants. "You must…stop the disease…before it…spreads." With a dramatic "Ugh," his head flops to the side.

Annabeth just folds her arms over her chest and glares at them. Then smiles up at Luke. "That sounds like a splendid idea," she says.

"Yeah I-I…cool, and…stuff," Thalia stutters, and Annabeth snickers at her. She shoots her a hard look.

"C'mon." Luke throws a "dead" twin over each shoulder and marches to his car. Annabeth and Thalia walk behind them.

"Dude!" Thalia hisses, smacking Annabeth on the arm. "You did not tell me your cousin was my _soulmate_!"

"How was I supposed to know?" Annabeth retorts. "It's not like I go around rolling up people's sleeves!"

"Well, so?" Thalia says. "I'd totally roll up guys' sleeves for you!"

"First off, I don't _want_ to find my soulmate. You know that," Annabeth told her. "Second off, my mark isn't on my arm."

"Oh." Thalia blinks, surprised, like she expected everybody's mark to be on their arm. "Where's yours?"

"Are you girls coming?" Luke calls, his smile wide and giddy and directed at Thalia.

;

Conner, Travis, and Annabeth end up playing the already on-going game of tag, because the three of them are, like, the _champions_ of tag. No one can ever catch them.

Thalia and Luke sit on a bench off to the side, chatting with bright grins and blushes on their faces.

The park is green and forest-y. The main field is open, with big trees surrounding it. A concrete path curls around the field, disappearing into the trees.

A new round of tag is started, and the It person is a slow boy named Pollux. Annabeth grins. She's got this game in the _bag_.

She uses to five-second head-start to sprint down the path, into the forest. She glances behind her to see if Pollux is following her, and then she slams into someone.

She falls down, eyes squeezed shut for impact. "Hey! Watch were you're…"

The sentence dies in her throat when she opens her eyes when she sees the boy she ran into.

"Holy crap," is the first thing that Annabeth says, though her mom would frown at her potty mouth. But they are the only words that come to mind when she looks at the blue light surrounding the boy. "Holy crap."

He looks her age, with messy black hair mesmerizing green eyes. He also looks like he's having a bad day, judging by the fresh cut on his brow and the pout on his face. Which it quickly dissolves into the brightest smile Annabeth has ever seen. And just–_wow_, he has a great smile.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going." He sounds overjoyed to see her, and most people are to see their _soulmate_ for the first time. He offers her his hand. Electricity seems to crackle between their fingertips when Annabeth accepts it, and he helps her up.

"I'm Percy. What's your name?" He cocks his head to the side, and Annabeth's heart hammers inside her chest.

"I…Uh…Annabeth."

The blue light that surrounds him somehow doesn't cast a glow on the pavement, or anything else.

And then she picks up on the fact that the aura surrounding her soulmate is _blue_, and she just–she _despises_ blue, okay?

"It's so good to meet you–"

Feeling her flight mechanism fuel her body, she rips her hand away and sprints into the forest, weaving in between trees and ducking below branches.

"Wait!" Percy yells. She faintly hears him try to run after her, but there's no way he can catch up. "Annabeth, wait!" His voice cracks, and she briefly wants to turn around at the wave of his sadness that washes over her, but her body won't let her.

And that's how she found the love of her life.

**AN: Thanks for reading this chapter! Sorry if anyone was OOC.**

**A lot of Thaluke, and not much Percabeth. Sorry. But, hey, we actually **_**met**_** Percy! And then Annabeth ran away from him! Isn't that just **_**great**_**? (I'm such a troll. Rick is my mentor. XD)**

**Constructive criticism appreciated, and reviews always welcome! **


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Okay, so this is where the story gets a **_**bit**_** darker. (See the T rating? Yeah.) Please don't read any farther if mentions of beatings trigger something.**

**To Creativethinker101: Thanks! :D ...What do you mean by "cure?"**

**To PercyJackson is SeaweedBrain: First of all, thanks for being an awesome reader! Second of all, I **_**have**_** read that story. I didn't mean to steal, or anything. The aura thing is because I'm lazy, **** and didn't want to come up with some brilliant plan for Annabeth to see Percy's mark (which is located at the base of their spines, so that'd be awkward) or vice versa. And then the "feeling each other's emotions" thing just seems like something that soulmates would have, and in this chapter it becomes much more than just "feeling each other's emotions." (*Wink wink, nudge nudge*)**

**If MaydayParade8123 DOES feel like I am stealing her story, I will instantly remove mine.**

Annabeth doesn't tell Thalia about Percy.

She doesn't tell _anybody_ about Percy.

Thalia's busy mourning the departure of her star-crossed lover, Luke, anyway. Hermes had taken his sons that morning to the other side of the country.

"You do know there's a five year age difference, right?" Annabeth asks as they pick up their trays, getting in line for rather good cafeteria food. Thalia is attending high school this year, while Annabeth is still in middle school, but their school does both.

"So?" Thalia demands, the rambling of her and Luke's first date (a trip to a local café) being cut off. "There could be a five year age difference between you and your soulmate!"

Annabeth cringes at the mention of Percy–or _Nameless Soulmate_, as he is to Thalia. "It's a one-month age difference," she admits, grabbing a bowl of grapes before moving down the line. "And, anyway, I don't want to find him."

"_Him_?" Thalia inquires.

"It was just an expression!" Annabeth exclaims. "Gods!"

They stay silent for a moment.

"I think you should find him," Thalia says softly as they sit down at their table. Annabeth opens her mouth to protest, but Thalia shrugs. "I think you deserve to be happy. You can't keep obsessing over your father's death."

She winces. _Low blow, Thals._

"And, what do you know? Maybe _he_ wants to find _you_," Thalia says casually, taking a bite of her pizza. "Think about it, Beth."

And she does.

She stares out the window, brooding, and probably stabbing her grapes a little too hard with her fork.

Technically, Annabeth is the only soulmate Percy will ever get. And she's…robbing him of that.

_But he can date whoever he wants, _Annabeth reminds herself. _Same with you. _

_But it won't be the same! _a small part of her argues.

She tries to think of a retort, but a sharp pain on her forehead, right on her brow, causes her to press her palm against the sore area.

"Annabeth?" Thalia asks. "Are you okay?"

She's about to reply–_I'm good. Just a headache_–but then, there's this horrible strip of _fire_ on her back. She jerks in her seat and cries out softly in pain.

Then, she realizes, it's not _her_ pain.

Another agonizing whip-like pain wraps around Annabeth's shin, and she falls out of her chair. People are surrounding her, but her vision becomes fuzzy and she can't make them out.

Thalia yells for help, but to Annabeth, it seems like she's miles away.

There are these stinging jabs at her ribcage and chest, and she reactively curls up into a ball, groaning, but the blows just keep coming no matter what she does.

Because it doesn't matter what she does, because it's not _her_ being hit.

Her hurt is beating too fast. It slams against her ribcage to the point it aches.

A strip of fire burns across her abdomen, and she sobs, because it _hurts_ and there's _nothing _she can do to stop it. Then, an explosion of pain spreads from her temple

And everything goes black.

;

_Bright._

That's the first thought that comes to Annabeth's sleep-groggy mind when her eyes flutter open.

Then she shuts them, because, _dang_, it's _bright_. Her body is sore and her brain pulses dully against her skull. She brings a hand up to rub her eyes, groaning.

"You're awake!" she hears Thalia exclaim, and then someone is gripping her free hand.

"Uggggh," she replies. Finally, she gets her eyes to open for good.

Athena is at her bedside in her wheelchair, holding her hand. Thalia, still in her school uniform, leans over her, grinning broadly.

Annabeth glances around. She's in a hospital room, on a hospital bed, in a hospital gown. It takes a while for these facts to click, and when they do, she guesses she's on some kind of drug.

"What the…happened?" Annabeth slurs. Yep. Definitely on drugs.

"Well, Ms. Chase." A doctor walks in, looking down at a clipboard in his hands. "Your heart nearly gave out."

"_What_?!" Annabeth demands, her voice high-pitched and, because of that, cracking. She must have tried to get up, since Thalia is pushing her back down.

"What do you mean, _my heart nearly gave out_?!" she asks.

"It means what it means," the doctor, Dr. Glynn, Annabeth can make out from his name tag, answers. "Judging how your father passed away, heart attacks must be genetic in your family."

"Frederick and I were special soulmates," Athena clears up. "I got into a car accident, and my husband's heart gave out. It isn't genetic. Doesn't it say that on your sheet?"

"Well…" Dr. Glynn glances at the sheet under the one he was originally looking at. "Yes, it does! Sorry for confusion." He peers at Annabeth. "Are you and your soulmate special, Ms. Chase?"

She nods, terror gripping at her heart. Her _soulmate_ put her in this hospital bed? Then her fears have been realized. Percy really _could_ get her killed, and vice versa.

Dr. Glynn is saying something to Athena, who is nodding back. Suddenly, Thalia doesn't look too happy about finding Luke.

"We'd like to keep her overnight," Dr. Glynn is saying. "Just to make sure."

"Yes. Of course," Athena says. Dr. Glynn nods and makes for the door, but she stops him. "You wouldn't…Would you be able to check through your patients? For her soulmate? We'd be able to buy him the best care."

Dr. Glynn gives them a pitying look. "I'm afraid that's not how it works, Mrs. Chase," he says. "I can't just…give out information on my patients. Soulmate to my other patient or no. And he might not even be in this hospital. Plus, there's not an exact science to find him."

Athena purses her lips, then nods. "I get it."

"I'm going to have to ask you to come with me, Mrs. Chase," Dr. Glynn says. "There are more papers to sign."

A grim smile stretches across her face. "Isn't there always?" She wheels out of the room.

The doctor is about to follow her, but then looks back at Thalia. "Are you her family or a legal adult?" he questions.

"No," Thalia replies. "To both of them."

"Then you're going to have to come with me, too." She looks ready to protest, but he holds up a hand. "Ms. Chase needs her rest. Now, come."

"Fine," she sighs, then looks at Annabeth. "You gonna be okay?"

"Yep," she chirps. She nods in the direction of the door when Thalia doesn't move. "_Go_, Thals. I don't want you to be arrested or something."

With one last smile, Thalia heads out into the hall. "I would suggest you get some rest," Dr. Glynn says, "but there's a remote for the TV on your bedside table." Then he leaves, closing the door behind him.

Annabeth immediately goes for the remote. She doesn't believe she'll get to sleep with all the thoughts and fears circling around in her head.

She flips though the channels.

ABC? No. Disney? No. Fox News…

"–_store manager Gabe Ugliano arrested for_–"

…Nah.

Oh, finally. History Channel.

;

Annabeth gets discharged from the hospital the next day.

Athena fawns over her for two weeks, like she's some kind of helpless baby. She gets calls from her cousins and Thalia every day, and even Alfred the butler seems relieved.

There's no more pain from Annabeth's "mysterious" soulmate for two more years. The company is expanding, Athena is spending more time with her daughter, and, all in and all, life is good.

;

It's Annabeth's first day of high school, and she's already passing it with flying colors.

She puts food in her mouth, staying silent as Thalia excitedly tells the people at their table all about her and Luke's date.

"Did he kiss you?" asks Kayla Apollo eagerly when she finishes.

"No," Thalia answers, a little sadly.

"He could still get arrested," Annabeth reminds them.

"But I'm _sixteen_!" Thalia exclaims. "How much longer are we going to have to wait?"

"He said he doesn't care," she tells her friend. "Just as long as he can be with you."

"Aww," coo Katie Gardener and Kayla.

"Wait." Thalia puts a hand on Annabeth's arm. "He-he _told_ you about our date?"

She rolls her eyes. "Of _course_ he did," she says. "I'm his cousin. And unofficial love expert, apparently."

"Well, then, what he say?" Katie inquires eagerly before Thalia can.

"He said he had a great time and Thalia was the perfect date."

Squeals erupt from the table and Annabeth has to cover her ears, along with the majority of the cafeteria.

"Gods!" she says. "I didn't take you as a squealer, Thalia."

Thalia rolls her eyes and punches her arm. "Like you wouldn't if your soulmate told me how great you were."

"You're right," Annabeth agrees. "I wouldn't."

Lunch ends, and she figures out she doesn't have a partner in chemistry.

;

"Ugh." Annabeth massages her temple, groaning.

Who knew that high school textbooks would make her dyslexia act up more than middle school textbooks? Apparently not Annabeth.

She closes her math book shut and grabs her remote. She presses the _on_ button, and the large flat screen opposite to her bed flickers on.

What to watch…

Nick? No. TLC? No. Fox News…

"–_with the finding of heir-apparent son Perseus Jackson. Poseidon's agent refuses to confirm if this will affect the actor's career_–"

…Nah.

And if only Annabeth had watched Fox News, then she might have been prepared for what life was planning on throwing at her.

**AN: I really do hope you enjoyed, and that everything was alright. ****If not, please let me know, and let me know what exactly I did wrong instead of just a vague statement.**

**Sorry if anyone was OOC, and thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Yay, I'm not dead! :D**

**Sorry for not updating sooner, but this week has been kind of busy for me. I started a new economics unit, then my friend had a birthday, then my mom had a birthday, and finally, I partied it up with the girls until the wee hours of the morning for my best friend's birthday party, so I was pretty brain-dead the day after.**

**To Aria Taylor: Aw, really? *Blushes* It's not **_**that**_** good…**

**To turquoiserainlilies: Kind of. I just thought it would be funny. And, also, I grew up on Batman, so Alfred is the one and only butler. (Except Edwin Jarvis maybe, after watching Peggy Carter.)**

**To WiseGirlWriter: I had the giggles while writing those moments, so I'm glad you liked it! **

**I really do hope you enjoy, and that everything is alright. If not, please let me know, and let me know what exactly I did wrong instead of just a vague statement.**

"Ugh," Annabeth says, leaning on the locker next to Thalia.

"What?" Thalia asks.

"I have to show this new kid around after lunch and miss out on the rest of my classes," she answers.

"That doesn't sound too bad," Thalia admits, shorting through the junk in her locker.

"Yeah, _but_, today's the day Mr. Brunner is screening that documentary," Annabeth tells her. Thalia winces, knowing how much Annabeth had been looking forward to that movie. "Trust me, I can go without Mrs. Dodds's pop quiz. But the _movie_."

She crosses her arms and leans her forehead against the cold metal. "I hate him and I haven't even met him yet."

"Who is he?" Thalia questions.

After thinking for a moment, Annabeth replies, "His name is Perseus Jackson." Thalia's eyes widen for a split second. Then she groans. "What?"

"That's the name of my long-lost cousin," she says. At Annabeth's confused look, she explains. "You've heard about that story on the news, right? The actor/CEO Poseidon finds his long-lost son?"

Annabeth nods, thinking of the times Athena had raved about her kind of-enemy having _another_ heir to his publishing company.

Then, everything clicks. Poseidon is Zeus's brother. Zeus is Thalia's (jerk of a) father.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she demands.

Thalia shrugs. "Didn't think it was that important. I've met him _once_. You know about the feud between Zeus and Poseidon." Annabeth nods again, and Thalia finally finds the textbook she needs. She shuts the locker and gives her full attention to her best friend. "How about I introduce you two? I have a free period today after lunch, and you'll find him faster."

"Sounds good," Annabeth agrees. They walk down the hall. "But why didn't you _tell_ me?"

Two hours and a good meal later, Thalia complains about the score she got on her test in science class. Her spiky hair bounces from her use of over dramatic hand movements

"How was I supposed to know the difference between 'unicellular' and 'multicellular'?" she demands.

Annabeth grunts, not entirely listening as she looks over the book she's reading for English class. "Maybe because you learned about them in the sixth grade?"

"Yes, but–but–" She apparently doesn't have a good argument, and they stroll outside in silence.

Students that have the same free period as Thalia bustle about the courtyard. Annabeth puts away her book and scans the crowd for someone who looks lost.

"There he is!" Thalia says, pointing to a boy on the sidewalk. He spots Thalia waving her arms like a manic, shouting something about how he needs to get his butt over here. He does, and Annabeth's heart stops.

He looks older, of course. Tanner and taller, leaner and more muscular.

But she instantly recognizes him.

Who _doesn't_ recognize their soulmate?

;

Annabeth turns away from him quickly, cursing out f-bombs and s-bombs at the cement pathway. (Her mom would _seriously_ frown at her potty mouth.) Thalia grabs her shoulders and forces her to look at Percy.

"Percy," Thalia says, "this is Annabeth. Annabeth, that's my _donkey_ of a cousin, Percy. She's going to be showing you around."

She sounds like she wants some kind of reaction out of them, but all Annabeth can do is gape at him. And Percy seems to be under the same spell, but he looks more of "pleasantly surprised" than "horribly shocked."

"What is it?" Thalia asks, glancing between the two.

Annabeth tries to reply, but all that comes out of her mouth is a tortured sigh as her hand moves to her lower back to press her thumb against her–_their_–mark.

"Oh," Thalia drawls slowly, catching on. Even though Annabeth has never shown her exactly where her mark is, she had vaguely told Thalia where it is.

Thalia obviously tries not to burst out laughing as Annabeth comes to the same conclusion she apparently did.

This is probably the most _cliché_ thing _ever_. Percy being the new kid and Annabeth showing him around? What, was her life planned out by some amateur _fanfiction_ writer?

"Are you going to run away from me again?" Percy teases. _Teases_. They've had face-to-face contact for a whole minute, and he's already teasing her.

"Wait." Thalia holds up her hand. "_Again_?"

Percy opens his mouth, probably to explain, but Annabeth snaps out of her trace. "Thanks, Thals!" Annabeth says, pushing her away. "For introducing us, I mean. Really! Now you can go!"

"But–"

"I left you and Luke alone," Annabeth tells her, dropping her voice to a threatening hiss so that Percy won't hear. "Now, go!"

"Fine." She holds up her hands in surrender and walks backwards, away from the pair of soulmates. "You two have fun!"

She gives a suggestive wink, says, "But not _too_ much fun," and disappears around the corner before Annabeth can strangle her best friend.

She turns to Percy, whom looks like he doesn't entirely get what he just witnessed, and gives him a grudging smile. He smiles back wholeheartedly, and, _dang_, his smile is _so_ much better than she remembers it.

"C'mon," she says curtly, turning around and giving him no choice but to follow. "Let's get this tour over with."

She goes inside the main building, pointing out different classrooms without giving him a chance to talk. Percy follows willingly as she leads him to the front desk.

"Mrs. La Rue? This is Perseus Jackson. He's new, and I was wondering if we could get his papers?" Annabeth requests from the elegant lady behind the desk.

Mrs. La Rue smiles. "Of course, dear. Hold on a moment." She disappears from sight to get Percy's papers from the filer.

"What's your last name?" Percy asks, cocking his head to the side in a rather endearing fashion.

_Stop it!_ Annabeth's brain yells at her heart. _Just because he goes to this school doesn't change _anything_._

"Chase," she replies, devoid of emotion. She folds her arms on the cool counter of the front desk and looks away from him.

But he maneuvers back into her line of sight. "What's your favorite color?" She stares at him for a long moment, wondering why he's being so…so _juvenile_ about this. Whatever "this_"_ is.

Just when she's about to reply, he says, "Mine's blue."

That sends a flare of agitation through her veins. She _hates_ blue.

She throws her hands up in the air. "Why should I tell _you_?" she snaps, a snarl in her voice.

He blinks, looking both surprised and hurt by her outburst. "Because we're soulmates. Isn't…that what we're supposed to do? …Tell each other stuff?"

Before Annabeth can reply–tell him something snarky and most likely mean–Mrs. La Rue comes back, handing Percy's file to Annabeth with a, "Let me know if I can do anything else for you, dear."

"Thanks," she says before storming around a corner, dragging Percy along. "Here." Annabeth shoves the papers in his chest, and he catches them with one hand. "There's a map in there, so I'll just be…"

He isn't paying any attention to her. Well, he _is_, but not how she wants him to be. A soft–almost love-struck–smile grows on his lips as he flexes the fingers curled against her palm.

She had grabbed his hand.

A blush spreads on her face, and she rips her hand away, cradling it to her chest. She turns away from him and looks at the ground. "There's your locker number and a map to the school in there," she mumbles.

She begins to walk away, but Percy reaches out and grabs her arm. "Did I…did I do something wrong, Annabeth?" he asks, and Annabeth doesn't have to hear the pain in his voice. She can feel it.

"No," she mutters.

"Then what's wrong?"

"I…"

She glances at him. There's a half an inch height difference between them, and she's the taller one. It's kind of a pointless fact, but she'd rather pick up that than her sudden urge to run her hands through his hair and reassure him that _nothing's_ wrong.

"You seem like a nice guy and all, Percy, but…" Annabeth says, searching for the words. "…but I-I just can't do this."

There's this horrible wave of pain that washes over her that's not her own. Combined with the way his face falls, her chest constricts, and she feels like she can't breathe.

"Why?" he asks softly, and she's about to answer, but then her phone buzzes in her pocket.

She fumbles to pick it up, and nearly sighs in relief when she sees MOM splayed across the screen. "I've gotta take this," Annabeth says before rushing into the girls' bathroom.

She slides down the wall, holding the phone to her ear. "I'm sorry to call you in the middle of class," Athena says from the other end, "but Alfred forgot to pick up milk. Could you stop by the store on your way home?"

"Yeah, sure."

Her voice must have sounded as conflicted to Athena as it did Annabeth, because the older Chase questions, "Are you okay, dear?"

"Yeah." She remembers how warm Percy's hand on her arm had felt. And then how _destroyed_ he looked when she depreciated him.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Completely fine."

;

Chemistry is Annabeth's first period a day later.

She clambers to her lonely desk, placing the safety glasses on her face as she sits down. She hadn't gotten much sleep last night. Conflicting feelings about Percy had kept her up until the wee hours of the morning.

The classroom fills up, kids chatting about. It looks like the teacher is about to start class, then the door opens.

And in steps Percy Jackson.

"Ah!" exclaims the teacher. "Mr. Jackson, the new student, am I right?" Percy nods. "You can go sit with Ms. Chase, over there."

Annabeth has to reframe from slamming her head into the table. She's _tired_ and _grumpy_ and does _not_ want to deal with that overly adorable soulmate of hers who (indirectly) put her in this mood.

Percy smiles brightly at her, like all has been forgiven, and Annabeth groans. Why couldn't she have gotten a _meaner_ soulmate? Then this rejection thing would be a whole lot easier.

He sits next to her, and she wonders when her life got _this_ cliché.

"Alright, class!" the teacher says, clapping his hands together to gain attention. He reaches to his desk and holds up a piece of paper. "After class, please come to my desk to pick up one of these, because we're going on a fieldtrip tomorrow."

The class erupts in cheers.

"You must get your parents to sign this, or you won't be able to go," he informs his pupils.

And, if Annabeth only didn't pick one up, she could've stopped the drama that was about to happen with her soulmate.

**AN: Sorry of Annabeth was a little witchy in this chapter. Self-preservation, you know?**

**This was not beta'd, so all mistakes are mine.**

**This fic was based off of MaydayParade8123's story Won't Leave Any Doubt, so how bout you give that a whirl? It's, like, fourteen million times better than mine.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson.**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Yay, I'm still not dead! :D I've been procrastinating lately, but this is probably the longest chapter that I have posted. **_**And**_**, I've got Percabeth angst, Percabeth fluff, and the introduction of the term "Seaweed Brain" in the same chapter! *Does fist-pump* They said I couldn't do it, they said I was crazy, but I proved. Them. Wrong! BWA HA HA HA HA!**

**To percabethbooklion: *nods seriously* I do love them loopholes.**

**To Aria Taylor: Thanks! Though, if I'm going with canon height, I don't think Percy gets taller than Annabeth until Heroes of Olympus. In The Last Olympian, he states they were "about the same height." Now, I'm no teenage guy, but if I were and I was **_**finally**_** taller (even by a centimeter) than a girl I've been shorter than all my life, I'd be like "Frick yeah! Take that, shorty! I'm taller than you now! How's the ground look from down there?" Of course, it was a sober time, but I still think he'd say something like, "I was **_**finally**_** taller than her."**

**To nersnime: SHE **_**DOES**_** KNOW EVERYTHING! (Daughter of the wisdom goddess. **_**Duh**_**.) I'm glad you liked those parts. They seemed to be everyone's favorite.**

**To Lmb111514: There isn't anyone else fighting for Percy's affections, but it **_**is**_** a big part of his backstory on how non-soulmate relationships work. I touch up on it in this chapter. *Wink wink, nudge nudge, hint hint***

Percy tries to strike up a conversation with her.

But Annabeth keeps her communication short and curt, only talking about chemistry.

(Class. Chemistry _class_. Not the chemistry between them. That isn't there, by the way.)

Percy even pulls the talking-about-mom card, and Annabeth usually finds guys talking about their mothers charming, but she tells herself not to be charmed by him. She notices he doesn't talk about his dad. Though she doesn't either, so she really can't judge.

He asks about her mom, and she tells him she's in a wheelchair before moving on to how much of the liquid he's holding should be placed into the tube on the burner.

The bell rings, and Annabeth silently put her pencils (for notes) back in her pencil case.

"So…" Percy runs a hand through his hair. "I-I was wondering…if maybe you'd want to…go out with me? I mean, not as a date or anything, but just so that I can make…this…right?"

Annabeth leaves without answering, picking up a sheet on the way out.

;

Kayla speaks excitedly as she, Annabeth, Katie, and Thalia walk over to their table. Her half-brother Will had met his soulmate (some guy named Nico) and Kayla had been there to witness it. Thalia obviously is holding in the story of Percy and Annabeth, giving her best friend smug looks like, _Tell them. C'mon. Tell them._

Annabeth ignores her.

They sit down as Kayla gushes on about how she wants to meet her own soulmate.

The story is interrupted when Thalia cups her hands around her mouth and yells, "Yo, Jackson! Stop looking so lost and sit with your cousin!"

She grins cheekily at Annabeth, and she wants to throw her hands in the air and scream, "We have the same _lunch_ too!?"

As Percy makes his way over to the table, Annabeth wonders if she could get away with the excuse of "I need to go to the bathroom." But with the way Thalia is smiling at her–like she's some _love goddess_ in the middle of the best matchmaking session of all time–she doubts it.

He sits down, not exactly looking at Annabeth, but, somehow, she can feel his eyes burning into her very soul. He picks at his hamburger with his fork, and he looks so glum Annabeth almost gives in and says, _Yes. I'll go out with you._

Almost.

"Katie, Kayla," Thalia says, "this is my cousin, Percy Jackson." She has that _glint_ her eye, like she's about to do something reckless and electrifying. "He's also Annabeth's soulmate."

"_What_?!" Katie shrieks at the same time Kayla says, "You can't be serious!"

"Completely serious," Thalia says, and Annabeth wants to slam her head onto the table. Did her best friend _really_ have to tell the girls about her love life?

"That's not fair!" Kayla cries. "I'm _older_!"

"How'd you two meet?" Katie asks eagerly.

"She was tasked with showing me around," Percy answers, sounding a bit _peeved_ at the subject. Annabeth has to go off his voice, because she isn't sure if the disgusted feeling she's experiencing is her own or Percy's.

A bit of both, she decides.

Katie whistles and then clicks her tongue. "Cliché used in all the high school romance novels," she says, nodding at Annabeth as if to appraise the legit-ness of it all.

"I know!" Thalia jabs her thumb at the red-faced soulmates. "We're going to have to watch out her these two. You never know when they're gonna sneak away and make out under a staircase."

Three out of the five at the table burst into giggles, and a flare of irritation burns through Annabeth. Percy must have felt it, too, because he looks up at her, surprised.

"Yeah!" Kayla says, trying to catch her breath. "And-and they're that couple that just is so disgustingly cute that you want to kill yourself, but they don't know it!"

"Because they're too lost in each other's eyes!" Katie adds in a coo, her voice having a slight squeal tint to it from all the laughing.

"And they're going to go on dates all the time!" Thalia says. "And then we'll beg them to zip it when all they talk about is each other!" **(AN: For some reason, I can just totally imagine Thalia being that friend that puts Percy's and Annabeth's heads together and is like, "Now kiss!")**

"Would you just _shut up_ about it?!" Annabeth snaps, slamming her fist onto the table. "It's _never_ going to happen between us! Gods!" She storms away from the table and out into the hallway.

She leans onto the wall, closing her eyes, taking deep breaths, and trying to get a hold on her temper.

The cafeteria doors open. "Annabeth!"

"_What_, Thalia?" she growls, turning around to face her best friend.

Thalia stares at her for a moment, like a mother ready to scold her child. "What the heck was that, Annabeth?" she finally demands.

Annabeth opens her mouth, but, apparently, it was a rhetorical question. "Katie and Kayla are _angry_ with you," Thalia continues. "_Three quarters_ of this school really want to find their soulmates, and, well, you found yours. And now you're throwing him away like a piece of trash."

"Well, I–"

"Percy was close to _tears_ when you left," Thalia stressed. Annabeth blinked. "I know I've only met him once, but that's my _cousin_. My _family_. What if I were to break Luke's heart like that, huh? Would you like that?"

"No," Annabeth muttered after a long stretch of silence.

"Think about that, would ya?" With an exasperated movement of her hands, Thalia disappears back into the cafeteria, leaving Annabeth staring at the floor with her ponderings, feeling like a reprimanded child.

;

"Mom!" Annabeth shouts, closing the door behind her. She places her house keys in the bowl beside the door and kicks off her shoes. "I'm home!"

"In the kitchen!" Athena replies.

She walks in the direction of her mom's voice, sliding the sheet of paper on the counter in front of her. "Fieldtrip," Annabeth announces, strolling over to the fridge and grabbing a glass of milk.

"Ah, nice," Athena says.

When Annabeth comes back, the paper has been signed. "Cool," she says. "I've got homework, so–"

"Are you okay, dear?" Athena asks. Annabeth blinks at her. "You look a bit…distressed."

Memoires from the day flash through her mind. Seeing Percy again, him asking her out, Thalia's words, then avoiding both all day.

"I'm fine," Annabeth lies. "Just a lot of homework. Why?"

"You just look like you've had a bad day."

"Try long day," Annabeth offers. "Had to show around this…_annoying_ kid yesterday, and I've got review homework for all the classes I missed." She pats her backpack like its hard evidence.

"Okay, then." She sounds unconvinced. "I won't stop you from getting your schoolwork done."

Annabeth musters a fake smile. "Thanks, Mom," she says before running upstairs.

Her thoughts drift back to Percy Jackson, but she forces herself to focus on the history lesson. And it works.

(At least that's what she tells herself.)

;

"Alright, class!" says Mr. Brunner, clapping his hands together to get the attention of the students.

They had just gotten out of the bus. Annabeth stands off to the side, cuffing her foot in the white sand of the beach. To her right, the ocean glitters a beautiful grey/blue.

"In this exercise, you shall be collecting different materials–ocean water, sand, seaweed–to look at under a microscope," Mr. Brunner announces. "The more of a variety of materials you get, the higher the grade. Understand?"

"Yes, sir," the class courses.

"Good. You will be going off in pairs." Cheers erupt from the students as everyone scrambles to find the partner they want. "THAT I HAVE ALREADY PICKED OUT!" Mr. Brunner yells over the commotion.

"Aw, man!" exclaims Miranda Gardiner as the rest of the students groan.

He takes out a clipboard and starts listing off names. "Miranda Gardiner and Lee Fletcher, Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase…"

"Sweet!" says Percy, and Annabeth's eyes are drawn to him.

"Your hat is crooked," is all Annabeth says. She reaches up to fix it, but then stops herself when the tips of her fingers brush against his hair. Then her hand just hovers there, making her look like an idiot, before she hastily returns it to her side.

After Mr. Brunner is done listing off names, everyone grabs buckets and shovels and test tubes. Annabeth and Percy head up the beach with two other pairs, while the rest head down the beach.

"Why did you say it's never going to happen between us?" Percy asks.

Annabeth stays silent, so Percy continues speaking. "My parents, Poseidon and Sally…Well, I was born at a mutual friend's party. Poseidon was already married to his soulmate, but he still liked to sleep around. So, he left my mom, who was struggling with two jobs just to take care of herself, with this baby and no help," he explains, and Annabeth blinks at him. Why is he sharing this with her when she's been so rude to him?

He looks at her kind of expectantly, and she clears her throat. "My parents were perfect for each other. They were special soulmates, like you and I," she mutters at the beach, tears wetting her eyes. She doesn't like to recount this story, but she can't bring herself to stop. "My mom…she-she got in a car accident. A bad one. And my dad…he couldn't take what happened to Mom, and his heart gave out."

"Oh." He sounds surprised, but comforting, and she has to resist the urge to throw herself in his arms and let it all out. "Is that why…?"

"Yeah." She nods, and they fall silent, collecting sand in a baggie.

"You put me in the hospital," she blurts, and his eyes go wide.

"_What_?" he demands, clearly horrified. "When?"

"When we were twelve," she answers. His gaze turns dark and troubled, like he knows what she's talking about.

"Oh, yeah," Percy says bitterly. "That."

They get up, walking over the small dock that has only tiny boats tied to it and sitting down on it. "So, my mom…her mark is right here." He taps his forehead. "It's out there for the world to see, unlike ours." She blushes at the word. _Ours_. Why does she like the sound of that?

"So," Percy continues, "there was this jerk named Gabe Ugliano. He saw Mom and he…recreated her mark. On him."

Annabeth gasps. "Isn't that _illegal_?"

He nods. "He was nice for the first thirty seconds we'd known him. But when Mom and Gabe got married…It was like he was a whole different guy. He gambled away all of her cash and got drunk. A lot. And…" He takes a deep breath. "_And_ when he got drunk, he got angry.

"He hit my mom, and there was nothing I could–_would_–do about. I stood there, around the corner, doing _nothing_ but _watching_, as he gave her bloody noses and bruises. Like a coward."

He looks at her, gauging her reaction, but she keeps a level face. Though her hands are twisted into the fabric of her jeans, knuckles white, and she clenches her jaw.

"I finally tried to do something about it, but Gabe gave me a cut and threw me out, saying he didn't want to see me ever again," Percy says bitterly, then he smiles at her fondly.

"That was the day I met you," he says, and Annabeth's heart twists. "You were so pretty with your princess curls and…It just felt like a sign, you know? That things were going to get better."

His smile drops. "And then you ran away from me."

Shame burns throughout Annabeth. "I'm-I'm sorry," she whispers quietly, so quietly. She kind of wishes he heard it.

He didn't. "That made me feel like I…like I wasn't worthy of my own soulmate. And that wasn't a good feeling." He fixes her with a strong look, but he isn't angry with her. Why can't he be angry with her? That'd make Annabeth's life so much easier.

"Do you know how many _days_ I had dreamed of you? Like you were going to swoop in and give me the strength to defeat Gabe Ugliano.

"I sulked around the park for two weeks; sleeping in a tree and living off of dumpster McDonalds. Then, I realized, I couldn't leave my mom with that monster, and I went back."

He pauses for a moment. "I showed up there, ready to fight, and he…beat me to the ground. He used his belt as a whip and kicked me repeatedly. Mom was working, so she wasn't there. Thankfully, our friendly neighbors, the Underwoods, heard me scream and came right in. Mrs. Underwood was a cop, and she arrested Gabe on the spot for child abuse."

He looks her straight in the eyes, and Annabeth can't escape his gaze. "I wanted you, you know? I still do. I wanted a love that my mom never got a chance to have. Both of our parents have crappy soulmate history, yes, and we took it different ways. Maybe I didn't think that you would be scared to have a soulmate, but you didn't think that I would want you as much as I do."

She stares at him for a long moment, contemplating. Her parents met at the age of thirty, and were only together for seven years before Frederick passed away. They dated for two years, got married, and conceived Annabeth on their honeymoon.

Even though their love had been true, they never had a chance to do a lot of things. Like that trip to Greece they always chatted about, or Athena talking Frederick out of following their daughter on her first date. They would never grow old together and watch as Annabeth takes over what they built.

But, as she looks at Percy, Annabeth realizes that she can do _all_ of those things with _him_.

"I-I'd be willing…"

Percy perks up. "Yes?"

"I'd be willing to try…this." She gestures between them, and Percy lets out a whoop of joy before throwing himself at her and tackling her to the ground with a hug.

He makes sure to cup the back of her head before it hits the wooden dock, his hand taking most of the blow. The light shining in his eyes becomes something…_softer_ as he stares down at her. He trails his other hand over her hairline, and she closes her eyes, trying to get used to the feeling of skin-on-skin contact.

She hears him whisper, "Gods, you're beautiful," before warm lips press against her own.

It's sweet and languid, like they've got all the time in the world. It's also Annabeth's first kiss, so she has _no idea_ where to put her hands.

"Get a room!" someone shouts, and they jump apart.

Annabeth quickly props herself up on her elbows, pushing herself into a sitting position. While Percy isn't so graceful. He hops onto his feet, but he ends up tripping over his own limbs and falling into the water.

She leans over the edge as he surfaces, and she bursts out laughing. Green seaweed covers his head like some horrible wig.

"Shut up!" Percy whines like a child, trying to get the seaweed off his hair.

"Seaweed Brain!" Annabeth gasps, trying to catch her breath. Once she does, she offers Percy her hand, and she pulls him back onto the dock.

They stare at each other, his warm hand in hers. Finally, she breaks the silence.

"You're going to have to be patient with me, okay?" she says. "I might not…I might not be _ready_ for all the things that are involved in being a couple."

He threads their fingers together and smiles brightly at her. "For you, I'd wait a hundred years."

For right now, Annabeth is content.

And, she will be for a while, until life throws her that other curveball up its' sleeve.

**AN: I really do hope you enjoyed, and that everything is alright. If not, please let me know, and let me know what exactly I did wrong instead of just a vague statement.**

**This was not beta'd, so all mistakes are mine.**

**This fic was based off of MaydayParade8123's story Won't Leave Any Doubt, so how bout you give that a whirl? It's, like, fourteen million times better than mine.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson.**

**Constructive criticism appreciated, and reviews always welcome!**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Mirror mirror on the wall, who's the biggest procrastinator of them all? **

**MIRROR ON THE WALL: Well, you of course, Sorceress!**

**You guys have no idea how hard this was for me to write. Not that I didn't want to, but Percabeth goes on a date and…well, **_**dating**_** is not my forte. Forever single, you know?**

**To Loveyapansycakes: Thanks! And, you know, sorry for crushing your dreams of me updating soon…**

**To kamspanda8888: Ha ha ha, nice to know my fics do that to people! Sounds like a funny story.**

**To Smiles Burn In The Styx: Really? I just kinda threw some words in a pot and hoped it didn't turn out like crap… : P (Y'know, 'cuz I'ma **_**sorceress**_**.)**

**To Samantha's Library: Lol! You think I'm gonna give them a break? Right away in this chapter (spoilers) their bus is going to turn over, they'll be saved by Grover, find out they're demigods, and then they'll be tossed into Tartarus by their own parents! …Jk, jk. We get some Percabeth cuddle moments before Luke comes in and ruins it… (*Hint hint, nudge nudge, wink wink*)**

"Favorite hobby?" Percy asks.

"Architecture," Annabeth answers without hesitation.

"Architecture?" he asks. She nods. "Never heard of that one, but okay."

They're sitting at the back of the bus on the way home from the field trip, playing an extended 20 Questions. There's at least six inches of space between them, because Annabeth is _so_ not ready for excessive hand-holding or touching.

"Favorite…food?" she questions.

"My mom's pancakes," Percy says. "They're the absolute _best_." Annabeth nods. "Favorite book?"

"Ooh, you drive a hard bargain, Jackson," she remarks, and he grins. "Umm…" She contemplates, biting her lower lip, and his eyes flicker down to her mouth before she catches the movement. "_The Odyssey_, maybe. Yours?"

"You drive a hard bargain, Chase," he mocks. Then he says, "_The Hunger Games_."

"Really?" she asks. He nods. "Not…like the movie?"

"The actual book," Percy confirms. He leans in slightly, but not too far to the point where Annabeth tenses up. "Everyone thinks it's girly, but personally, I like all the fight scenes." He pulls back. "Plus, Gale x Katniss is, like, the _best_."

"No way!" Annabeth exclaims. She folds her arms in front of her chest. "Peeta x Katniss _is_ the best! Not _like_ the best!"

"Nah-uh!"

"Yeah-huh!"

"Nah-uh!"

"Yeah-huh!"

"Nah-uh!"

"Yeah-huh!"

"Can I kiss you?"

"Yea–wait, what?"

Percy looks at her with earnest eyes. "I just–I really want to kiss you right now," he says. "So…can I? Kiss you, I mean?"

"I, uh…" A blush spreads on her face. She has this _ridiculous_ urge to twirl her hair on her finger and giggle like a school girl. Annabeth Chase has never done _either_ of those things. Like…_ever_. He must be getting in her head, or something. "I…Sure. Go ahead."

Smiling, he takes her chin in his hand and leans in, kissing her square on the mouth. Her eyes flutter shut, and she reaches out to trail her fingertips over his shoulder. It remains chaste.

Somehow.

Maybe the reason is Percy's trailing whisper of, "Gale x Katniss…" against her mouth, and Annabeth scoffs, pulling away and smacking his shoulder.

"Seaweed Brain," she mutters.

He retaliates with, "Wise Girl."

She raises an eyebrow at him. "You know that's a compliment, right?"

"Well, I…" He cuts himself off, realizing he has no ammo to fight with. "Favorite animal?" he asks, changing the subject.

;

"Ok, so," Percy says as he slides next to her a day later, "I've planned out the perfect date." His eyes widen. "I mean, if you want to go! Not that I'm forcing you, or anything! I just–I mean–"

Annabeth shuts him up by laughing and pecking him on the cheek. "Of course I'll go out with you." She awkwardly reaches out for his hand, but retracts it just as quickly, looking away and clearing her throat. "What are we going to do on this 'perfectly planned out date'?" she asks, glancing back at him.

"It's a surprise," he says, grinning cheekily.

She scrunches up her nose. "I _hate_ surprises."

He doesn't put a sly smile on his face, but she can feel his smugness. She glares at him.

"Oh!" he exclaims, remembering something. "I told my mom. About us, you know? And she can't wait to meet you."

A bright red flush spreads across her face. "Are you sure? It might be too early to meet the parents."

"Oh, gods!" A blush comes to his face, too. "Are you uncomfortable with it? Was that too straight forward?"

"No! I'm just…new at this."

"So am I," he whispers, like it's a secret. They stop in the middle of the hallway, because he's so _close_ to her and her senses are being overridden with the smell of _ocean_, of all things.

They stare at each other for a moment. Then, her hand curls around the front of his shirt without her telling it to, tugging him closer so that their foreheads and noses are touching.

His breath fans across her lips, and she closes her eyes. She leans forward, and…

"Holy _crap_!" They jump apart and turn around to see Thalia, Katie, and Kayla. Annabeth nearly groans. Percy's _older cousin_ caught them almost kissing.

That's not mortally embarrassing or anything.

"Hey, guys," Annabeth greets, drawling out the e's in the _hey_. "What's up?"

"You two hooking up is, apparently, _what's up_," Kayla replies, and Annabeth can detect a hint of jealousy in her voice.

"We didn't hook up!" Percy sputters. "That sounds _wrong_!"

"We _did_ make out on the beach," Annabeth allows, blushing hard from her own comment and from Kayla's. "Hooking up" _does_ sound wrong.

"Ooh." Katie waggles her eyebrows suggestively. "Getting adventurous, are we, Bethy?"

"_Bethy_?" she whispers under her breath, because _Annie_ and _Beth_ might be bad nicknames, but _Bethy_? That's just crossing a line.

Either way, she lets it go and grabs Percy's hand. He seems surprised at the sudden action, but his face quickly melts into a soft smile, and he tightens his fingers around hers in response.

"Hey, Thalia." Annabeth holds up their intertwined hands for her best friend to see. "I thought about it."

Thalia's face breaks out in a grin. Then, she grabs Katie and Kayla's arms and drags them away, saying something about the couple needing alone time.

"So…" Percy turns to face her, and she does the same. "What was that about?"

"Oh, nothing." Annabeth shrugs. She lets go of his hand. "A girl thing."

"Ok…?" He doesn't question it. Instead, he says, "So, um, for our date…I'd like to…pick you up after school? Well, I don't own a car, nor can I drive, so we'd be walking to the bus stop."

"Okay. Where are we going?"

His eyes twinkle mischievously. "It's a surprise."

;

"Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise."

At his answer, Annabeth sinks back in her seat like a pouting child. She and Percy are on a bus to go to this "mystery date" of his.

"I hate surprises," she mutters. Again.

"I know," he says airily.

Like on the school bus, there's at least six inches of space between them. He respects her space, and she twines her pinky with his. He smiles down at their hands.

"Where are we going?" she repeats, hoping that the affection might get her the answer.

"It's a surprise."

It doesn't.

;

When the bus finally pulls up to their stop, Percy hesitantly covers Annabeth's eyes, leading her blindly to where they're going.

Percy's clumsy, and he steps on her heels more than she'd like, but he gets her there.

Finally, he pulls his hands away, and Annabeth can see the title of the building above the door.

She gasps and whirls around to face him. "A Frank Lloyd Wright museum?"

"Yeah." He blushes and ducks his head, hiding a grin. "You mentioned how much you like architecture."

"Once," she states. "I mentioned it _once_."

He shuffles on his feet. "Do you not like it?" he rushes. "We can do something else…"

She shuts him up with a kiss. A real _mouth-on-mouth_ kiss. It obviously surprises him as much as her, because his blush intensifies. "I love it," she says softly.

He smiles at her, then they walk over to the admission booth. A teenaged girl named Zoe hands them their tickets once Percy pays.

They head inside, and Annabeth immediately rambles on about Frank Lloyd Wright. They take their time with every single exhibit, though Percy looks bored beyond belief.

A swell of affection rises in Annabeth's chest. He had known that he would not enjoy this, but he planned it anyway. Just for her.

Her breath stolen away by the model of Gammage, she blindly fumbles for his hand. He smiles at her like he could stay in this moment forever. Like all his boredom is worth it to have this single second.

Maybe, she thinks, this soulmate thing won't be so bad.

;

A week later, Annabeth gets sick.

It's horrible.

Her throat is _beyond_ dry, her eyes are itchy and watery, her stomach turns over every time she _twitches_, and it feels like her brain is trying to escape from her head by her eardrums.

"Ugh," she groans as Alfred _literarily_ has to prop her up to take her temperature, because she feels like a sack of potatoes right about now.

"Yep," the butler says over the phone to Annabeth's mom, who's half a world away on a trip for the company. "She's sick."

"_Sick_?" Annabeth demands, and she sounds like a dying walrus with a sore throat. "I've never been sick before in my–" She bursts out coughing, and it hurts, because it feels like she's giving herself a concussion by jumbling around her brain so much. "In my life!" she finishes.

"Well, you're sick now," Alfred says, putting her down. "I shall fetch hot water and medicine. You, madam, need to go to sleep." He leaves with her mom still on the phone.

She tries.

She _really_ does.

But she isn't sure she can get to a comfy spot without upsetting her stomach and throwing up.

There's the sound of twittering and slight vibration on her bed-side table; Thalia's text tone. Probably wondering where Annabeth is.

As much as she wants to calm her friend, Annabeth wants to curl up in a ball more. So, she does just that. Thalia can take a few minutes of worry. Or hours. Or days. Annabeth just really doesn't want any contact with the outside world right now.

Alfred comes back in her room, puts a warm cloth on her head, force-feeds for horrible medicine, and then he leaves again.

Then, there's the vibration again, but this time accompanied by the sound of waves. That one's Percy's text tone.

Fighting the urge to _bring to light_ what she had for dinner all over her bed, Annabeth reaches over and snatches up her phone. Thalia's and Percy's texts are pretty much the same, consisting of some form of _where are you?_ She opens Percy's contact and types in _sick_.

Then her eyes glaze over it, and, with horror, realizes that she put a _d_ instead of a _s_.

_Sick! I mean sick! _she sends quickly, slamming her head into her pillow at her mistake. Then moaning in pain at her head-slamming.

His worry tingles through her, and it's endearing, knowing that he cares, and…Well, she's _endeared_.

**Do u need something? **is his reply, thankfully not calling out Annabeth's earlier blunder.

_No. Alfred already took care of everything._

Jealousy clouds her already clouded brain, and it takes her until he replies to know what he's jealous of.

**Who's alfred?**

Normally, Annabeth would have teased him about being jealous. But's she's too tired and doesn't want to end up calling him a bad name again. So, she tells him.

_My butler._

And then, not being able to miss the moment, she types in, _Jelly, Seaweed Brain?_

**No**

(She can feel he is. She guesses he can feel that she knows.)

_Maybe I should start calling you JELLY-Fish Brain._

**No**

_Are you sure? It seems fitting…_

**No just no**

She can feel his teasing mirth, and she chuckles behind her hand. She regrets the action, because it causes a sharp, prodding pain to be ignited in her forehead and her body to be wracked with coughs.

That worrying sensation comes back again. Percy obviously felt some of that.

**R u sure u don't want anything cuz I can get it**

_You have school._

**Screw school**

**I'd rather b w/ u**

Her heart flutters at the words. They've only been dating a week, and Percy's already the sweetest, caring boyfriend to ever exist. Screw what Thalia says about Luke. Percy holds the title.

He doesn't care that Annabeth doesn't always hold his hand while walking down the halls, or that she doesn't like him walking her to any of her classes.

He's being patient with her, and that's all she can ask for.

_If you come before school is over, I'll personally kick you out of my house and send you right back._

**And if i come after? ...**

She smiles down at her phone.

_Then we'll see._

;

As the day progresses, Annabeth feels a bit better. It gets to the point where she can go downstairs to collapse on the couch and watch TV.

Well, actually, she doesn't feel better. That was just a ploy to tell Alfred so she wouldn't die of boredom up in her room.

She's _really_ hitting the high of her fever; she feels all giggly and helium-ly (is that even a word?), laughing at anything on the program she's watching. It's not even funny in the slightest.

But, apparently, when she's sick, _Ancient Aliens_ is like laughing gas to her.

"Madam Annabeth?"

"Hmmm?" Annabeth cranes her neck to look at Alfred.

"There's a boy at the gate who says he's here to see you. He says his name is Percy Jackson."

It takes her a second before everything clicks. "What time is it?"

"A little after three in the afternoon, madam."

She grins. _He remembered his promise! _

Wait, no. He never _promised_. _He remembered her threat!_

"You can let 'im in, Alfred," she says, her words short and choppy because of the fever.

Alfred nods, and disappears around the corner.

Not two minutes later, he comes back, Annabeth's soulmate in tow.

"Percy!" she greets a little too eagerly. She wants to hug him, but her limps feel like wet noodles. "You remembered my threat!"

He chuckles. His eyes seem…brighter. "Yeah. I sure did."

"Percy, that's Alfred," Annabeth says, pointing at the butler. "Alfred, this is Percy." Lowering her voice to whisper, she says, "He's my soulmate."

"Really?" Alfred asks, his eyebrows shooting to his hairline. Annabeth nods, grinning broadly. The tips of his mouth tick up. "Well, then, I'll leave you two alone."

"What'ca got there, Perce?" she asks, noticing the bag he grips in his hand.

He holds it up and fishes out a small, circular container. "My mom's soup," he says proudly. "It's known to cure _any_ cold."

He helps her sit up. Then, hands her the soup and spoon, and she slurps it slowly. It tastes good, but her throat is still sore, and it burns like bile, so the flavor is kind of masked.

"I cold," she complains once she's done with her soup, flopping on her back and curling up into a ball.

"Do you want a blanket?" Percy questions softly, dragging his thumb over her hairline.

Annabeth nods into her throw pillow. She hears him start to walk away, but her hand shoots out and latches onto him. "Wait. Don't go."

He chuckles. "I can't stay _and_ get a blanket."

She tugs him to her, not answering him. Even though she feels weak, she still has enough strength to make him lose balance and fall next to her on the couch.

"I wanna _cuddle_," she stresses, snuggling into his chest. His body shakes with held-back laughter, and he tightens his arms around her.

He sighs. "If we _haaaave_ to…"

She hums, dragging her nose across his collar bone, and his breath hitches. "Hmmm…You're warm."

"You're adorable," he replies. Probably without thinking about it, because his skin instantly heats up.

Annabeth isn't complaining. More body heat for her.

She curls into him, and falls asleep.

;

When she stirs again, there's this…_soothing_ action being performed on her ear. She doesn't open her eyes yet, but she regains enough of her bearings to know that it's Percy's thumb running over the rim of her helix.

Her eyes flutter open. Percy grins lovingly at her, propped up on his elbow so that he can look at her.

He kisses her between the eyes. "Hey, Wise Girl," he says, brushing the tip of her nose with his. "How do you feel?"

Annabeth yawns, stretching out, and nearly sighs in relief when she doesn't want to throw up or gets a horrible pounding in her skull. "Better," she murmurs, closing her eyes again and sighing sleepily into his shirt.

"Are you thirsty?" He resumes running his thumb over her ear.

She ponders for a moment, feeling the inside of her mouth with her tongue and finding nothing but dryness. "Yeah."

He sits and reaches over to the coffee table, handing her a plastic cup. Annabeth sits up, too, cradling it in both hands and taking little sips.

Once she puts it down, he blurts, "Can I kiss you?"

She wrinkles up her nose. "I'm sick."

"I don't care," he retorts. "Can I?"

She rolls her eyes. "Sure."

He leans over and tenderly presses his lips to hers. He starts to pull away, but, on some fever-induced action, Annabeth pulls his head back to hers and kisses him with much more vigor than before.

With renewed strength, she flips them over so that she's straddling his waist. Using the leverage, she fists her hands into his hair and sucks on his lip, earning a groan from him.

Her phone, brought down by Alfred, probably, buzzes on the coffee table. Percy pulls away, only slightly.

"Maybe you should–"

"Don't worry," she pants, rolling her hips against his experimentally, drawing out a pitiful moan from him. "It's just Luke. Probably just wants to ask me things about the company."

They go back to kissing. Percy brings his hands around her waist, resting his hand on the small of her back. When he presses his fingers against her mark, she hisses and bites down slightly on his bottom lip.

Her phone buzzes again.

"He sounds persistent," Percy remarks. "You should get it."

Growling, Annabeth snatches up her phone, pressing the accept button and bringing it up to her ear. "What?"

"_Annabeth_?" Luke's voice sounds broken on the other end. "_You-you need to come to the hospital._

"_It's-it's Thalia."_

And Annabeth's whole world comes crashing down.

**AN: OMG! OMG! OMG! What happened to Thalia?! Why is she in the hospital?! …Well, **_**I**_** know, but you guys **_**don't**_**. Ha!**

**I really do hope you enjoyed, and that everything was alright. If not, please let me know, and let me know what exactly I did wrong instead of just a vague statement.**

**This was not beta'd, so all mistakes are mine.**

**This fic was based off of MaydayParade8123's story Won't Leave Any Doubt. You should go read it. It's, like, sixteen million times better than mine.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or Ancient Aliens.**

**Constructive criticism appreciated, and reviews really do mean a lot to me!**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: I wonder how many people are just going to skip right over this to get to the story. Probably a lot, I'd say.**

**To AmazonWarrior5: I think so. There's no reason for me to put him in this story, so we're just going to assume he is.**

**To Jessica Jasso: They are around fifteen. I'd totally age them up, but they both have summer birthdays, and, c'mon, it's a cliché high school story. Can't do one of those without them being in high school. And, I think those parts are cute too.**

**To EvenTheSunsetsInParadise: One of my greatest goals in life is to be a meanie, so I'm glad I succeeded. ;) Thanks for the offer, but I mainly say it hasn't been beta'd so people aren't like, "Oh my gwads ur gramma sucs. Who beta'd this ****." (The bad grammar right there was for dramatic effect.)**

**To Aria Taylor: A lot of other people seem to hate my guts right now. I have no idea **_**why**_**, though…The last cliffhanger is **_**nothing**_** compared to the zinger I have for you guys this time. BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!**

Alfred drives them both (since Percy _is_ Thalia's cousin) to the hospital.

Annabeth's leg bounces erratically, adrenalin hitting her with waves of energy that keeps blood rushing in her ears and her brain pounding in her skull.

The drive is going to be a long, torturous forty-five minutes until Annabeth gets to find out what has befallen upon her best friend. Luke had been too hysteric to explain anything, hanging up quickly because apparently they didn't allow cellphones in the emergence rooms, and all he really wanted was to be back at Thalia's side.

Her mind whirls, thinking of _every possible outcome_. Rape, assault with intent, poisonous, incurable spider bite, breaking her legs walking down the stairs…The list just goes on and on, and none of the options are good.

"Annabeth," Percy says, resting a hand on her shoulder. Then she realizes that she her whole body had begun to vibrate, and she wills herself to stop.

She tries to reply, but there's a lump in her throat and it's so dry as it is, (she's still sick. Too bad it didn't magically disappear from the soap opera plot that is her life, like in all the other sitcoms she's seen) nothing comes out but a strangled sigh.

His eyes are brimmed with red and his face softens. He wraps an arm around her shoulders, tugging her until she's semi-sitting on his lap. All she can do is bury her face in his neck and stop the tears from flowing. He kisses the top of her head, and something wet falls on her curls. She gives up and starts to cry silently.

"I know, Wise Girl," Percy soothes, his voice hoarse from his own tears. He rubs a hand up and down her back, kissing her hair repeatedly. "I know. But she's gonna be okay, okay? She's just…she's got to…"

;

"Wise Girl." Someone shakes her shoulder, trying to get her up.

"Hmm…Uggggh…" She curls into herself tighter, because Percy's warm and he smells like the ocean and the soup she just ate.

"Annabeth, sweetheart, you need to get up," someone says, and she registers the voice as _Percy_. "We're here."

_Here…where?_

Then it all comes back to her, and she shoots up. Her chest feels like its constricting her lungs, and she can't get enough air, and she can't breathe, and…Percy's hands and words are calm her down.

His fingers fit across her face, and he whispers to her, "Shh, shh, shh, Annabeth. It's okay. You're fine."

Once she calms down, she gasps, "I fell asleep."

His thumb ghosts over her cheekbone. "You still have a fever. You need your rest." He kisses her warm forehead. "Now, come on. Thalia…"

Alfred stays in the car, looking as stoic as ever. But Annabeth notices the slight tremble to his bottom lip, and she knows that he's worried about Thalia, too. The girl made quite the impression on the butler the, oh, _forty million_ times she's been over at Annabeth's house.

The pair rushes inside the hospital. It's at least midnight, and Annabeth, being sick and all, keeps stumbling over rocks, so Percy finally just scoops her up and runs inside.

A few nurses jump up at the sight of them, ready to help, but he sets her down and they jog briskly to the front desk.

"We're here to see Thalia Hunter Grace," Percy says, tripping over his words.

"Oh." The nurse–Argus, Annabeth reads from his nametag–sits down and types something in his computer. "What are your names?"

"Perseus Samuel Mark Jackson." **(An: Question of the chapter: what is Percy's middle name a reference to?)**

"Annabeth Atlanta Chase." Her voice is rough and raspy; something in her throat giving a bile-like taste to her mouth.

Argus looks up at her. "Do you, by any chance, have a fever, Miss Chase?"

"I–Yeah. Why?"

He gives her a look full of pity. "I'm sorry, but if you're running a fever, than I can't allow you to see Miss Grace."

"_What_?!" Annabeth demands. Her face becomes ten times hotter.

"Standard protocols," he answers. "Miss Grace is in a…_unstable_ condition right now. It would be problematic for her recovery if she were to catch your cold."

Annabeth nods, her anger seeping away. "Anything to help," she whispers. Then, she asks, "Can I…can I know what put in here?"

"A car accident."

;

_A car accident; just like her mother._

_A car accident; how her father died._

Annabeth's knees buckle under her and she nearly falls on the hard tile floor, but thankfully Percy is right there, grabbing her waist, keeping her steady.

This time, nurses _do_ rush to help. But Percy keeps them away, sensing how she's close to panic attack. "Stay back!" he orders, and slowly lowers her to the ground in a sitting position. He gently forces her head between her knees. "Breathe, Annabeth. Breathe."

She sucks in deep breaths until she gets herself under control. Once she manages to steady her breathing, Percy slowly leads her to the chairs, forcing her to sit again and plopping down next to her. He wraps an arm around her shoulders, tugging her closer, and she begins to sob into his chest.

The dry sobbing makes her head hurt with every jerking movement, but she has no more tears. Percy apparently does, a few stray tears falling onto her neck.

Annabeth finally calms down, and he presses his forehead to hers, his breath ghosting over her lips, his fingers brushing against her cheekbone.

"Can I kiss you?" he asks softly.

Annabeth doesn't answer.

She pulls away from him and curls up on her chair, putting her head between her knees.

;

Percy has to leave her to go see Thalia. Annabeth gets that. If it their roles were reversed, she'd probably want to see Luke as quickly as possible.

When he comes back, his face looks ashen, and collapses into the chair next to her.

Hesitantly, she asks, "That bad?"

"Yeah." He nods. He leans forward, burying his face in his hands. Shakily, he explains. "She…she wasn't awake. The doctors don't know when or if she is, but it's…it's bad. They've got her hooked up to a machine and breathing through tubes."

Annabeth takes in a deep, watery breath, blinking away tears that threaten to fall. "And…the doctors? Do they…What's the cause?"

"Drunk driver. Drunk driver under the influence of drugs. She ran a red light, hit Thalia's car, and…and…" He clenches his fists, twisting the material of his pants in his fingers. "…_And_ she walked away _unscathed_."

He slams his hand into the armrest of the seat, and Annabeth jumps, even though she knows he didn't mean to scare her.

He's just angry. She can feel it.

"That _psycho_ put Thalia in here, barely breathing, internally bleeding, and she…she _walked away_. _Without any injury_." He tugs at his hair, and she doesn't know how to comfort him.

Maybe because she can't seem to comfort herself.

"It's just…it's just not fair!" he shouts, earning the startled attention of everybody in the room, but they all give him sympathetic looks when they see he's distraught. Distraught in a hospital, and everyone probably thinks he just lost someone, and…

…_No_.

Percy and she won't lose someone, because Thalia's going to be _alright_.

Most likely.

Probably.

Maybe.

Annabeth buries her head in her knees again and prays to whatever god will listen.

Thalia has to be fine.

She _has_ to be.

;

"We should get you home," Percy says quietly. "There's no reason you should be staying up, since you can't go in."

Annabeth glances over at an elderly man in a wheelchair.

_Will Thalia end up like that? End up like Mom?_

"Yeah," she murmurs. She pulls herself up, stumbles for a moment, but steadies herself on by placing a hand on the chair before Percy can help her.

"C'mon." He stands up, reaching for her hand. "Let's go out to Alfred, shall we?"

"No." She shakes her head. "I'll go. You should be with Thalia. There's no reason you shouldn't be able to see her."

"But…"

Shoving at his chest lightly, she stresses, "_Go_. I'll…I'll be _fine_, Seaweed Brain. It's just a walk to the parking lot."

"Okay," he says hesitantly. He kisses her cheek, and Annabeth squeezes her eyes shut, her breaths labored and heavy. "Just…don't trip on a rock and die." He chuckles lightly, attempting humor.

And she's glad for his attempt, but…She just needs a moment before she can try to laugh. He senses this, sobers up, and she leaves with one last, "Goodbye."

;

Once she clambers into the backseat of the car, Annabeth curls in on herself. Mentally and physically.

When her father had died, the two people she had taken comfort in were Luke and Thalia. Thalia was best friend, and Luke had known about soulmates, so they were the best ones to confide in. But then Hermes took him away, and there was a gap. One that Thalia couldn't fill because she didn't know the truth.

And, now Luke can't comfort her about Thalia because Annabeth guesses he can't calm himself yet. And Thalia can't comfort her for…_obvious reasons_.

_Will Thalia die like her father?_

Her father…

Even though he hadn't _directly_ died because of the car accident, the pain from his death is fresh.

The pain _and_ the fear.

;

The next day, Thalia's story is on the local news.

Annabeth doesn't know _why_, but the news reporters are making a stupid propaganda out of it, saying that it was a _planned attack_ which put Zeus Grace's daughter in the hospital. In reality, it was just an under-aged drunk named Drew Tanaka who was also driving under the influence of drugs.

Though, the "planned attack" is what's playing on the TVs in the school, even though Annabeth has no desire to hear it.

She's angry and sad and _confused_ that morning, but doesn't take a sick day since she doesn't want to left to her thoughts for twenty-four hours.

"Oh my gods, Annabeth!" Katie rushes at her and grabs her shoulders, Kayla close on her heels. "Did you hear what happened to Thalia?!"

She fixes her with a blank look, grunting in the direction of the reporters putting suspense on the story.

"Oh, right." She blushes and pulls away. "Forgot about that."

Annabeth lifts a shoulder. "I learned about it before, anyway. Luke called me."

"Is she going to be okay?" Kayla fusses. "What did she look like?"

"I…wasn't allowed in. Percy…" Her chest constricts with pain at her soulmate's name. "Percy said that she was pretty bad, and the guy at the front desk said she was in an unstable condition."

"I said what?"

She jumps when Percy, like, _materializes_ in the air next to her.

He looks like he's had a long night; red brimming his eyes, pale complexion, messier hair than usual.

She looks away from him and at the floor, clearing her throat. "Nothing. I-I need to go to class."

Then she shuffles away.

;

She's putting books in her locker when Percy corners her. He shuts the door, careful not to catch any of her fingers.

"What's _up_ with you?" he questions. Her eyes flutter around the hall, searching for an escape.'

"I…uh…nothing," she lies.

He gives her a _yeah right_ look. "You've been avoiding me day." His expression softens, and she sucks in a breath when he grabs her hand. "Are you alright? Is this…is this about Thalia?"

Not Thalia.

_Her father._

"I…"

The…the _fear_ that was put into her when he died. Fear of her soulmate. And Percy helped her get rid of that fear.

And…now it's back.

"I'm sorry!" she sobs, ripping away her hand. She can feel his shock. "I just can't…_I just can't do this_!"

And Annabeth runs away from her soulmate, leaving him behind for the last time.

**AN:**

**You guys: -_-**

**Me: *Sheepish shrug***

**You guys: -_-**

**Me: *Still sheepishly shrugging***

**You guys: *Throws pitchforks, tomatoes, axes, knives, and rubber chickens* DIE YA LOOSY, NO GOOD WRITER!**

**Me: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! *Hides behind desk and shuts off computer* HA! Now you can't get me!**

**You guys: *Finds out where I live* *Shows up on doorstep* *Kicks down door* *Points bows and arrows at me* SorceressOfTheHighestExCalibur, YOU HAVE FAILED THIS FANDOM! **

**Me: I do not own Percy Jackson! This fic was based off of MaydayParade8123's story Won't Leave Any Doubt! **

**Me: *Becomes pin cushion by your hands***

**You guys: OH CRAP! WE JUST KILLED HER. NOW SHE CAN'T UPDATE. BETTER BRING HER BACK TO LIFE SO THAT WE CAN KILL HER AGAIN FOR THE NEXT CLIFFHANGER.**

**And, scene.**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Ok, so, I was reading over the comments, and when I saw the ones that said "erratically not erotically" I blushed and all that jazz. So, no, I did not mean for fifteen-year-old Annabeth to be seducing her also fifteen-year-old boyfriend of, like, **_**a week**_** with her knee bouncing. I think that I forgot one R in erratically and the spell check took one look at it and was like, "Yep. She means erotically." Ha ha ha! That's so the last time I use a spell check. You can never trust machines…**

**Well, anyway, thanks for bringing me back! :D Glad to be alive. **

**I'VE GOT MORE THAN A HUNDRED FOLLOWS ON THIS STORY! AND **_**TWENTY**_** REVIEWS FOR THE LAST CHAPTER!? YOU GUYS ARE THE BESTEST!**

**Though, none of you tried to figure out what Percy's middle names are a reference to! That's kinda disappointing...**

**To Aria Taylor: … … … …I came on here to have a good time and I'm honestly feeling so attacked right now. Jk, jk. Thalia's one of my favorites, so I'd be hard to kill her off. (But I still could if I really wanted to…) And as for Percabeth…Well, only time will tell, am I right?**

**To Smiles Burn In The Styx: I can't live with myself, remember? Because I'm dead and you REFUSE TO RESURRECT ME! *Mumbles* But, y'know, that's fine. You'll never get to read another chapter…**

**To baby Cyclopes: That quote does fit Annabeth well. And adding Nico and Will into the story really does nothing for the plot, so, even though I love Solangelo, I'm gonna leave them out.**

**To The Shadow Demigod: Thanks so much! Having someone see writing potential in me really does mean a lot tome!**

**To Dianthus2241: Thanks for the review! And I tried to put one of those moments in this chapter.**

The next day, she goes back to school, and there's something waiting for her on her locker.

It's a canister, the one Percy brought her soup in, hanging by a thread that's tied to the slits on the metal door. A note is attached to it, labeled To Wise Girl.

Affection surges through her, causing her heart to do a little tap dance against her ribcage. A smile starts pulling at her lips.

_Seaweed Brain._

But then Annabeth pushes down the emotions and crumples up the note, shoving it in her locker. She places the soup her in lunch bag, shoulders her backpack, and heads into chemistry class.

Percy's already sitting, and he looks a little worse for wear. Annabeth squares her shoulders before she heads over to their desk.

She sits down tense. She keeps their conversation to a bare minimum, only speaking when absolutely necessary. No small talk happens.

Then it ends, and everyone packs their textbooks into their backpacks. Annabeth gets done with hers, and she whispers quietly, so quietly, "Thanks for the soup, Percy."

She hopes he didn't hear her.

(Judging by the foreign swell of warmth that happens to her, she guesses he did.)

After avoiding her soulmate for half of the day, lunch comes around, and she plops down at the table where Katie and Kayla are sitting, already taking off the lid of her soup. She had grabbed a plastic spoon and now takes small sips.

It tastes better today. Her throat isn't as scratchy as when she first had it.

"Not eating the cafeteria food like the rest of us simpletons, huh, Annabeth?" Katie teases half-heartedly. Her hair is a mess and she's only wearing a smidge of make-up, and Annabeth guesses she's worried about Thalia like she is.

She cracks a grin. "Yeah. The food of you petty lowlifes only worsens my fever. For that insult, you shalt be thrown in the dungeon!"

Kayla and Katie giggle at her attempt for humor, and she's glad.

Then, Kayla glances around, like there's something missing. At first Annabeth thinks that, by reflex, she's looking for Thalia, but then she says, "Where's your boyfriend, Annabeth?"

"He's…" Her spoon falls in her soup as she sobers and stares at the table. "He's not my boyfriend anymore."

"_What_?" they demand. Kayla asks, "What happened?"

Annabeth really doesn't feel like telling them, so she just shrugs and mumbles, "'S stupid."

"If it's stupid," Katie says slowly, "then why are you not with him?"

;

It rains that day.

Annabeth tells Alfred not to pick her up from school. She needs to collect her thoughts.

What better way to do than to sulk in the rain?

She shuffles through her locker, trying to find a coat. Her fingers brush against something soft, and she grasps onto it.

Pain twists her heart when she brings out the hoodie.

_Percy's _hoodie.

They had been on a tiny little dinner-date. Annabeth forgot her jacket on the bus with no way of getting it back, and Percy offered his hoodie to her because of the chill in the air. She refused, thinking that it was too intimate, and Percy just draped the hood over her head.

He didn't ask for it back, and the next day, it rained. Her alarm clock choose to break without giving her a notice, and in the rush she had put on the hoodie on. The swell of affection that he had had and she felt nearly made her curl up with the hoodie and him, and just…take a nap, or whatever couples do in that kind of situation.

She wants to throw it back in, but it's raining and she's already sick, so, she slips it on.

(That's the only reason, she swears. Not because she's wondering if leaving him was the right decision. That would just be crazy.)

Shutting her locker, Annabeth tugs the hood snugger over her head and walks outside.

Rain immediately batters down on her with some kind of soft strength. When she looks up, it tickles at her eyes lashes. She fixes her eyes on the sidewalk, stuffs her hands in the pockets of her jeans, and starts on her way.

Something blocks the water from falling on her hunched shoulders. "Careful. Don't want you getting even sicker." She turns and Percy is standing there, an umbrella in his hand and a sad smile on his face.

She ducks out of the cover and walks quicker. "Didn't I tell you we're done?" she demands.

He follows. "Well, yeah."

She hunches her shoulders over more, trying to fell small. "Didn't I break your heart?" she mumbles.

"Yeah." His voice is sad and small, like a child's, and her heart twists again. "Yeah, you did."

"Then why are you still being nice to me?"

"Because. You're my soulmate." She winces at the word. "And…We've…We're going to be alright. What happened to Thalia…I'm not going to let it get between us."

"There's no _us_," she snaps, picking up her pace. "There's _you_, and then there's _I_. Stated as _completely_ individual entities."

"Annabeth." The way Percy says her name has her stopping in her tracks. She cranes her neck to look at him, and he stares right back at her with earnest eyes. "I could…I _can_ feel your regret."

She evades his gaze, looking at the ground and cursing herself in her head. Of course he'd pick up on things like that. Stupid her, stupid Percy, stupid special soulmates, stupid stupid _stupid_.

"Maybe my regret isn't about that," she growls.

"Then why did you feel sad when you put on my hoodie, Wise Girl?"

Something snaps inside her, and she quickly strips off her–_his_–hoodie, bundling it up and throwing it at his chest. Drops of water glide down her bare arms.

"Here. Take it back. And don't–" She has to pause for a millisecond to make sure her voice doesn't crack. "–don't call me that!"

She turns around and starts walking again, but something stops her. Soft, yet callused, fingers pressing into the skin of her elbow.

"Annabeth, you already have a fever. I don't want you–"

"L-leave me alone!" She throws off his hand and turns a corner, fading away in the light fog.

All he does is stand there with conflicting emotions, holding the hoodie in one hand and an umbrella in the other, drops of rain dripping off of it.

;

Annabeth's fever gets worse.

Alfred pesters her to get her to not go to school tomorrow, and she's fine with that.

Less contact with Percy, the better.

But it hurts. It hurts when she can feel him missing her.

;

A week (and a lot of avoiding a certain person) later, Annabeth finally doesn't have a fever or a cough, and Alfred drives her to the hospital to see Thalia.

Pretty much jumping out before the car stops mobbing, she power-walks into the hospital, going straight for the front desk. "I'm here to see Thalia Hunter Grace?"

"Name?"

"Annabeth Atalanta Chase."

"Ah." The lady behind the desk nods at her computer, then smiles up at Annabeth. "It's says here that Ms. Grace just woke up a couple hours ago."

Her eyes widen. "She did?"

"Yep."

The relief she feels nearly turns her knees to jelly. She takes a deep, calming breath so that she doesn't cry.

Thalia may _not_ end up like her father.

"Great," she breaths, and it is. It really is.

"Here." The lady hands her a piece of paper–a pass, or something. "Ms. Grace is in room 207."

"Thank you."

She leaves, going straight for the room. She pushes the door labeled **207** open.

Luke's sitting at Thalia bedside, her hands clasped in his, and he presses kisses to her knuckles, speaking quietly with her.

Annabeth smiles, because, honestly, Thalia looks in much better shape than she pictured.

But then that smile falls, because Percy's sitting on her other side.

No one notices her, and she contemplates escape, but then Thalia says, "Annabeth!" and Luke and Percy turn to look at her.

Luke seems happy at her arrival, and Percy looks…passive. It's kind of cold, but, well, Annabeth deserves it, she knows.

"Sit down," Thalia orders. She does. "Luke says that you didn't visit me!"

Annabeth chuckles. It seems her friend is on some kind pain-killing drug. "They kept me out," she says. "I had a fever."

"You could'a broke _in_," she says, drawling out the I in _in_.

"I would'a got you _sick_," Annabeth mocks, and maybe it's a _little_ unfair since she _is_ on drugs, but she needs something to keep her eyes away from Percy. Anything to keep her eyes off of Percy, and to keep pain from gnawing at her heart.

"Wait." Thalia obviously senses this, and glances between her and Percy, whom is leaning "casually" back against his seat. "Wha's goin' on between you two?"

"Nothing," Percy says without emotion at the same time Annabeth snaps, "It's none on your business."

Luke looks a little awkward talking about his baby cousin's love life, but Thalia sighs exasperated.

"Oh, come on!"

"Thalia–"

"_No, _Annabeth," she says with that spark in her eye that immediately makes Annabeth go silent. "This is about your father again, isn't it? …_Answer_ me!"

She nods. Obviously the pain killers aren't keeping Thalia from saying what she wants to say.

"Annabeth, I got in a car accident. I did. What I _didn't_ do is give Luke a heart attack!"

"I know," Annabeth mutters.

"Then why, _why_, are you connecting these things? It's stupid! It makes no sense!" Thalia insists, and Annabeth growls low in her throat, clenching her fists. "It took me–_and_ Percy–years to convince you that you-it won't end up like your parents!

"You two finally went out, and then I get in a car accident, and it's all over? That makes no sense!"

"You're telling me," Percy mutters. Annabeth growls again, glaring.

"I used to tell you that, you deserve happiness. That you deserve a soulmate," Thalia says bitterly. "Well, I change my mind.

"You don't, but he sure as _hell_ does for putting up with all your crap."

It stings, but's it's deserved.

And it leaves Annabeth's mind wandering.

**AN: *Sigh* This chapter didn't come out entirely like a hoped, but maybe you guys liked it. *Shrugs* Oh well.**

**I listened to Ella Eyre's **_**If I Go**_** (one of my **_**favs**_**), and I'm like, **_**This fits this story really well! **_

**Anyway, we're nearing the end of this fic. DUN DUN DUUUUN! It'll be one or two more chapters. (Depending on me if I do an epilogue.) So…Review if you guys want an epilogue? **

**This fic was based off of MaydayParade8123's story Won't Leave Any Doubt, so how about you hop over to her page and read it? It's much better than mine.**

**All mistakes are mine.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson.**

**Constructive criticism welcome, and reviews really do mean a lot to me.**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Sorry for not updating sooner, but I had a massive, three-day long headache. It's a little bit hard to write stuff when it feels like leprechauns are dancing on your brain, you know?**

**To ILuvReadingFiction: You seem to be the only one who **_**likes**_** the cliffhangers. : )**

**To HoOisawesome: Thanks! I'm glad you like Thalia's character so much. (She's one of my **_**favs**_**.)**

**To Daughter of Olympus 2: I don't know what that is. Can you please explain further?**

**To LUVTOSWIMinSUMMER45: Thanks! Ha ha, you make it sound like I'm actually good at this or something!**

Annabeth paces when she's deep in thought.

She always does it in her room, away from civilization and away from noise, holding her chin and staring at her moving feet while her mind wanders.

Her bedroom door slams open. "Annabeth!"

"Gah!" She jumps ten feet in the air, nearly tripping over her own bed, but quickly regaining her composure.

Athena stands (well, not really stands; more like sits) in the doorway, looking positively furious. "Mom!" Annabeth shouts. The she lowers her voice. "You're back!"

"I've been back for thirty minutes, calling your name," she says icily.

"Oh!" Knowing how her mother likes her to be there when she gets home from a trip, her face burns and she grins sheepishly. "I'm sorry, Mom. I was just…contemplating."

Her angry demeanor falls, recognizing that–for Annabeth of all people to have something slip past her senses–it's something important. "What about, dear?"

"Well, I…" She bites her lip, staring at the bed, wondering if she should let her mom in.

It's kind of personal, _but_ the older Chase _is_ really good at solving problems.

Annabeth releases her bottom lip. "I…I met my soulmate," she admits hoarsely.

Athena's eyes widen in surprise, but she quickly replaces it with an earnest look. Wheeling her chair over to her, she takes her daughter's hands in hers' and forces her to look at her. "When?"

"'Couple weeks ago. No, actually three years ago. I ran away from him." The younger forces a laugh, barren of humor. "Turns out he got abused by his stepfather that day, and I completely crushed his heart."

She just tightens her hands around her daughter's. Annabeth continues.

"Then, a couple of weeks ago, I met him again. I was to show him around school. We argued. I crushed his heart again. Then, on that fieldtrip, he poured his soul out to me, and I suggested that we give this whole soulmate thing a try."

A grin breaks out on Athena's face. But, then, the corners of her mouth tick downwards. "Then…Why do you sound so...uncomfortable?" She pauses. "Unless you were planning on asking me about birth control…"

"No!" Annabeth exclaims, beet red from under the collar of her shirt to the roots of her hair. "That's _so_ _not_ what it's about at all!"

"So…What _is_ it about?"

She sobers and stares down at her feet. "I…I ended things with him."

"Why?"

"Thalia got in a car accident," she whispers. "And I just…The fear is back."

"The…fear?"

"That we might end up like you and dad."

Athena's eyes widen, and Annabeth knows she struck a nerve. It's the same nerve she's been striking since she was five.

Then her eyes soften, and she says, "Annabeth…Dear…You guys are special soulmates. You've been feeling each other's emotions–and pain–since before you met. If one of you gets in an accident… It'll end up the same way whether you're with him or not."

"So, why don't you just take a chance and go out with him?"

;

Annabeth has to concentrate hard to keep the pen she's twirling from slipping through her fingers. Her hands are clammy and shaking, but not because she's sick.

Students enter the chemistry classroom, nodding at each other as they pass. Annabeth searches for a certain black-haired boy amongst the crowd.

She finally spots him, and ducks her head to stare at her textbook, her fingers nearly ripping the page with the vice-like grip she has on the corner. Percy plops down next to her, and she's next to a nervous wreck.

_Since when has this been so hard?_

_Since you thought of this plan,_ says that little voice in the back of her mind.

Her hands shake and she blurts, "I…Um…I'm sorry!" She squeezes her eyes shut tight, a blush spreading over her cheeks, when she hears her voice squeak.

"What?" Percy says, a bit taken back. And then he _sasses_ her. "Are you talking to me or your textbook?"

She groans mentally, pinching herself in between her eyes. "You, Percy. I'm talking to _you_."

He must sense that what she's trying–and failing–to say is important, and all teasing humor leaves his voice. "What are you sorry for?" She glances at him.

"Everything," she breaths. "For not talking to you when we were twelve, for being a jerk, for turning you down…Just, everything."

"What are you saying?" he asks eagerly.

"That I want to try this–_us_–again."

His smile nearly blinds her. He's so happy, and suddenly Annabeth's excited; not frustrated because she couldn't find the words to express her feelings. "And _us_ is stated as one entity?" he questions.

"Yeah." She nods. "Yeah, it is."

Doubt flashes across Percy's face. "Are you sure?"

She reaches out and hesitantly grabs his hand, wondering if this is OK. And then his fingers curl around hers', and she grins. "Completely."

He smiles back, letting out a whoop of delight as he goes to wrap his arms around her. She holds up her hands.

"Wait."

"Wh-what? But I thought you said–"

"I know what I said, but…" She gnaws at her bottom lip, and, is she wasn't so wrapped up in trying to explain, she would have noticed his eyes dart down to look at the movement.

She sighs. "You just…can't forgive me that quickly, okay?"

Scowling, his eyebrows draw together and a pout graces his mouth as he tries to figure out what she's saying. "I don't…"

"_I_," she pronounces, "am going to take you out on a date and earn your trust back." She takes a deep breath. "I broke your trust and I am going to _earn_ it back, okay? So you can't…you can't forgive me until I do." It's hard for her to admit she's wrong, but Percy's a good guy, and, after all the crap she's put him through, he deserves her apologetic words. More than her words, actually.

He looks confused for a moment, then a mischievous smile spreads across his face. "You're trying to…_woo_ me, eh, Wise Girl?"

Her face feels hot, and she briefly wonders if he'd take it personally if she were to shove him off his seat.

A light chuckle comes from him, and he places a warm kiss on her cheek that almost makes her melt. "Just kidding," he whispers, his nose dragging against her cheekbone after his lips have left her skin. "Am I getting flowers in this whole ordeal?"

"I can give you a damn box of chocolates and spend twenty minutes charming your father if that _pleases_ you, you freaking girly-girl," she grumbles, pretending to be annoyed, but, in all reality, her insides feel like a pile a jelly.

A good, warm, fuzzy pile of jelly.

"Sounds good," he says, pulling back only to take her hand. He looks like a kid in a candy store, and she can sense that he feels like he's won a million bucks. "Anything with you sounds good."

Affection swells in her chest as he brings her hand up to kiss it, his bright eyes locked on hers'.

She wonders if this is what love feels like.

;

Annabeth tugs at the sleeve of her jacket as Alfred drives her and Percy to their destination.

It's dark outside, she feels like curling up in a ball and never showing her face again before they arrive, and Percy is warm sitting next to her.

Not exactly in the order, these are the only facts she can pick up on. Oh, and the fact that her hands won't stop moving.

Alfred pulls into the parking lot and opens the door for the pair of soulmates. Annabeth covers Percy's eyes before he can see where they are.

"I'll call you when we need to be picked up?" she suggests to Alfred. He nods, climbs back in the car, and drives away.

Much like on their first date, (Annabeth suddenly realizes this is only their third date; the first being the trip to the museum, the second being an improv dinner stop) Annabeth leads Percy blindly to where she has _it_ set up.

She takes away her hands, and he…stares.

They're on top of a small hill that overlooks a beach. The same beach that they had their first kiss at. A picnic blanket and a basket are right in front of them.

He approaches it slowly, and she shoves her hands in her pockets.

"It's not too cheesy, is it?" she questions, cringing. Maybe it is too cheesy. "Gods, it _is_ too cheesy! I'm sorry! We can do something else, if you'd li–"

Warm lips are placed on hers, and she shuts up. He pulls away to grin at her, tugging her hand out of her pocket to twine it with hers'. "It's perfect," he says, kissing her again. "Can I forgive you yet?"

"I still haven't 'wooed' you," she mentions, biting her lip before hesitantly presses her lips to his. She feels slightly giddy, and, if you were to ask her, she'd say its Percy's giddiness.

They sit down, and Annabeth opens their basket. She grabs the candle and the lighter, because it's dark, and sets it down, the orange flame flickering. Then she takes out the food.

"Pancakes!" Percy exclaims as he reaches out for them, sounding like the girl in the relationship and Annabeth had just given him a ring or something. "Did you make them?" he asks her.

"No. Alfred did. Though," she chuckles nervously, reaching behind her to scratch at her neck, "I _did_ try. They ended up being more _charred husk_ than _pancake_."

He laughs, and then she laughs, and they each grab a plate, serving themselves to the food Alfred had prepared.

Then, she reaches into the basket and hands him a small bouquet of blue hydrangea with a teasing smile.

He gives her a questioning look, and she shrugs. "You said you wanted flowers," she says.

A grin spreads across his face. "I guess I did," he says proudly, tucking one behind his ear like it is perfectly normal. He asks, "Now, where's my chocolates?" and–for some silly, stupid reason–she laughs, and so does he.

Once she calms down, she sighs, looking at the plastic fork she's turning over in her hand. "I was scared," she blurts.

He sobers, scrunching his eyebrows together in a way that is all too cute. "Of what?"

It takes a moment, but she answers, "Of this. Of _us_."

"Why?" There's hurt in his voice and in his heart, and she cringes again.

"You remember what I told you about my parents?" He nods. "Well, I was…_scared_…that that might have happened to us."

He opens his mouth to speak, but she's not done. "Not intentionally, I know, but…I don't know. I was thinking that we'd end up like them. Not maybe; that we _would_. And I just…I was scared of _us_. Specifically the _special_ soulmate part of us."

"Are you…are you still scared?"

She sucks in a breath. "A little bit," she admits. "But my mom said that…I'd be better for me to live my life now–with you–than to live my life in fear. And realized that, she was right.

"So, I'm…sorry. For running away. For…everything."

"Well…" He takes her hand, tugging her closer until she's sitting on his lap, nose-to-nose with him. His voice is a whisper as he cards his hands through her hair. "I forgive you."

He places his mouth on hers', and she kisses back just as hard.

And…she isn't scared anymore.

**AN: Ugh, I wish this one turned out better. Moved a bit too fast for my tastes, and Annabeth seemed a bit OCC, but maybe you guys liked it.**

**Though, I do like it when Annabeth is the awkward one on the dates. Even though Rick writes Percy as the awkward one, we haven't seen a date between them narrated from Annabeth POV. :D This is totally how I think their dates go:**

**Percy: *Talks smoothly* *Never does anything that would make Annabeth uncomfortable* *Tells jokes to get her to relax***

**Annabeth: *Laughs nervously* *Overthinks everything* *Tries not to blush and stutter***

**Annabeth: *To herself* **_**What in the fuck should I do next**_**?**

**Don't know why, but I just think that it's cuter when the girl is the one who has no idea what's going on. :P **

**I **_**am**_** going to write an epilogue! Like, **_**everyone**_** asked for one. Hopefully I'll get that out quicker than I got this out.**

**This fic was inspired by MaydayParade8123's story Won't Leave Any Doubt, so you guys should go check that out. It's **_**way**_** better than the crap I write.**

**This was not beta'd, so all mistakes are mine.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.**

**Constructive criticism welcome, and reviews really do mean a lot to me!**


	10. Epilogue

Annabeth is sixteen when she meets Percy's parents.

She has her driver's license and drives herself to a party that his father set up. His dad's house is big; even larger than Annabeth's. Fountains are dotted all around the courtyard and balloons are tied to just about everything that will hold them. A large snack table is near the hedges.

Percy immediately walks up to her, two older people in tow, and promptly kisses her square on the mouth. When he pulls away, he wraps an arm around her waist and proudly announces, "This is her."

His dad is charming, though Annabeth can sense a lot of tension between the two. His mom is friendly, immediately tackling her with a hug and commenting on how her little boy ended up with such a pretty lady.

Annabeth blushes, and Percy just kisses her again, dragging her off for her to meet all his cousins. He proclaims the same thing to everybody:

"This is her."

;

Annabeth is almost seventeen when Percy finally grows taller than her.

He constantly reminds her of that fact, teasingly calling her _Shorty_ and always comparing their height. Even though, if one were to not look close enough, it would seem that they're at the same exact elevation.

To shut him up, she grabs the front of his shirt and kisses him. Hard.

He sputters for a moment at the sudden affection. Then he starts to say something–probably _you had to pull me down to kiss me, Shorty_–but she beats him to it.

"I love you," she says simply, pecking his now pink cheek.

"I love you, too," he replies without hesitation.

From that point on, instead of calling her short, he always says _I love you_.

;

Annabeth is twenty-two when Percy asks her _The Question_.

They're fresh out of college, living together in an apartment. Annabeth works a lot, already taking up her role as the only heir of Athena's branch of the company.

They don't have a lot of free time, and Annabeth feels bad, but Percy says that he's just fine with cuddling against her while she works from home. He has his movies, he says, and he can always just watch her if the movies aren't enough.

On one of those days, she holds out her hand, requesting some of the popcorn she knows he has next to him. He hands her something, and, instead of feeling buttery little pieces, her fingers close around soft velvet.

She opens the box on his prompting. Inside is a beautiful silver band with a single blue diamond. She doesn't get surprised very often, but this makes her gasp.

"Marry me?" he asks.

She answers immediately:

_Yes._

;

Annabeth is twenty-three when she walks down the aisle.

She's wearing a plain white dress, a veil covering her face. Katie had done her hair and make-up, and Thalia (who had recovered from her injuries when she was twenty, now being twenty-five) had told her that if Percy even caused her any trouble, she'd whoop her cousin's butt.

She walks along the white carpet, clutching a bouquet of blue hydrangeas in her hands. Luke walks her down the aisle, her father, well, you know, _not_ _present_, and Annabeth swears she can see him tearing up.

The seats are crowded with people. Both she and Percy have big Greek families, and it shows on just how many individuals are sitting in the seats.

Percy spots her, and his smile is wide and bright, pure and utter happiness written all over his face. He looks like a kid in a candy store whom is impatient to just get his candy.

She joins him at the altar. Her bridesmaids–Thalia, Katie, Kayla, and her cousin Nyssa–grin at her. The ring bearer is Percy's seven-year-old half-brother, Tyson.

The minstrel starts talking. They say their vows. And then the minstrel asks the final question.

"I do."

"I do."

;

Annabeth is twenty-four when she learns something important.

She's nervous because she's late, and she decides to take out the pregnancy testers just to be sure. She takes the test, and _voilà_–she's positive.

Percy's out with friends, and she has no idea how to handle this. Her hands won't stop moving and her mind won't stop whirling.

She's pregnant. With Percy's baby. With _her_ baby.

Their baby.

When he comes home, she stumbles over the words–which are more _sound_ then actual, intelligent _wording_–until she just shoves the test in his face.

His eyes go wide, then his grin goes wide, and then he tackles her with a hug, kissing every inch of her face. "We're having a baby. We're going to be parents," he breaths, and she can't help but repeat it, biting her lip and nodding.

He immediately sits her down and makes dinner, attending to her every need for the rest of the night like she's nine months along, instead of just a couple weeks.

He continues to coddle her for the rest of the pregnancy.

;

Annabeth is twenty-five when her and Percy's sons are born.

Yes, _sons._ As in _twins_. Two babies. Dos children.

It hurts.

And–oh hot _damn_, does it hurt. It hurts _so_ bad. Contractions wrack her body in painful shudders. Her entire being burns, especially the lower half. She feels like crying, and she hasn't even begun to push yet.

String after string of profanities leave her mouth, and Percy makes a joke on how their children could be born with foul mouths. She wants to punch him in the face, but her hand refuses to move from where it's latched onto the railing of her hospital bed. She takes satisfaction in the way she hears his bone pop as she squeezes his hand.

She wonders if labor causes her to have violet thoughts.

The doctor tells her he can see the head of the first one; it's time to start pushing.

It feels like hours upon hours of torture, but then–she hears it. The sound of her baby crying for the first time as he takes his first breath of air. She sobs with relief, and Percy kisses her forehead, running a hand through her hair with shaky fingers, telling her what a good job she's doing.

The nurses announce _It's a boy!_, even though it's redundant, because after they figured out they were having twins, Percy and Annabeth wanted to know the sexes of the babies.

The doctor coaxes her to continue–_one more, _he says. She's exhausted and in pain, but this time around seems much easier. Probably because she's done it now and knows what she's doing.

And–there it is again. The sound of her son, her younger son, screaming at the top of his lungs. After another _It's a boy!_, the nurses take him to join his brother for their birth-checkup.

Annabeth slumps back in her bed, her head flopping to the side. She sees Percy smiling broadly at her and hears him whispering to her, and she smiles back weakly. Her eyes flutter shut, and she falls asleep.

When she wakes again, she hears Percy whispering and cooing. She cranes her neck to see him cradling two blue bundles. She announces her reentering of the real world, and he immediately hands their sons over to her.

The older one has a full head of blond hair, and the younger one has a single, thick black curl on his head. They're both snoozing comfortably. It's a beautiful moment, being there with her beautiful baby boys for the first time, and tears well up in her eyes.

Percy informs her that the doctors said they were perfectly healthy.

Choking down a sob, she looks at him and says, "We're _parents_, Percy. _We're_ parents."

;

Annabeth's sons are five when they first learn about soulmates.

It's not because Percy got in a car accident and Annabeth is in immense pain because of it. It's not because Hunter, Thalia and Luke's daughter, spilled secrets that she wasn't supposed to tell.

No, it's because, while visiting Kayla's and her soulmate Clovis' baby boy for the first time, Robert (the older twin) announced that the child was glowing.

Percy checked the mark on Robert's arm, and, _yep_, it matched the one on Kayla's son.

So, when they get home, Percy sits Robert and his brother Damasen down on the living room floor to inform them about this little thing called _soulmates_.

Annabeth watches from the couch, playing with the newest addition to the family, three-year-old Atalanta Chase-Jackson.

The twins watch their father in fascination, grasping onto every word he says. When he explains the mark, Damasen proudly shows off the mark on his stomach, which he had been born with.

Just as Percy finishes up, Annabeth adds onto the lecture.

"Remember boys, no matter what, don't be scared of taking a chance." She glances at Percy, who grins broadly at her.

"It might just be the best decision of your life."

;

THE END.

;

**AN: It's done. There. Take it. **

**I wanna thank all of you guys for being so awesome! Seriously, over a hundred reviews, over a hundred and fifty followers, and almost a hundred favorites. You sure know how to make a girl feel special.**

**This fic was based off of MaydayParade8123's story Won't Leave Any Doubt, so, now that you're forever done with this piece of crap, how about you go read it? It's **_**so**_** much better than mine.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson!**

**Constructive criticism welcome, and reviews really do mean a lot to me!**


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